


Abduction

by LordSaucy



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Growing Up, Romance, Science Fiction, non-poly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-10-12
Packaged: 2019-01-04 04:39:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12161700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordSaucy/pseuds/LordSaucy
Summary: It's 2017, and Rebecca Shepard is 17 is in a camp for troubled teens. One night, there is a bright light outside her window and she goes to investigate and finds a strange ship in a clearing outside camp, along with strange beings. Rebecca is taken because she has seen too much.((Non-poly. Some relationships Eventual))





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm back with more Mass Effect because I just can't stop coming up with ideas. Gemini Syndrome will continue eventually once I get past issues with that story. 
> 
> This one is mostly plotted out so I'm not worried about long gaps with this one.

* * *

 

 

"--'s dead. I'm sorry."

 

   "What?" My world crumbled. I had stumbled into my neighborhood at three a.m. drunk off my ass only to be waylaid by the cops at the end of my street. I was looking like a drowned, harassed rat having walked from the opposite side of town and now here I was sitting on my neighbor's couch, untouched mug of hot tea in my hands being told that while I was out having fun, my mother was murdered.

 

   Not only was I sober now, but somber. My mother, the person who gave me life, raised me when my father couldn't stick around, was dead. Slow, salty tears trickled from my eyes as I contemplated the death of my only parent, and the way the milk swirled in my earl gray tea.

 

   The cops, save for the one that had finally told me what was going on, were in the corner of the room discussing what to do with me. I didn't have any family left to speak of, and finding me a home in foster care would be interesting, considering my recent expulsion and the fact that I reeked like a liquor store.

 

_ Maybe she's better off without me _ , I sniffed loudly. I was nowhere near close to being in the run for child of the year. I back talked, I swore, I drank, I fought, I smoked, and I never helped around the house and now she's gone--and I couldn't apologize for being such a complete waste of space asshole.

 

   For the night, they put me up in a hotel, under guard since my house was a crime scene. I had a cop outside the door, and the mini bar was emptied before they would leave me alone, but the room was mine for me to grieve on my own before they shipped me off.

 

   I had heard something about a camp in South Dakota for troubled kids. Apparently they had an opening and since I had nowhere to go, and placing kids like me was difficult due to the clogged foster care system, this was the option I had. I would be allowed to return home in the morning to pack, but was warned that I wouldn't be able to get through without seeing some blood.

 

   They were right, but it wasn't how I thought it would be. The white carpet that my mother had tended so lovingly to in life looked like someone had dropped a bucket of red paint on it. That's all. I don't know what I expected. It wasn't like they were going to walk me past the body. No. That had been packed up when I was supposed to be sleeping in the hotel.

 

   I packed all my long sleeve shirts, all my pants, and a few jackets. They told me South Dakota got really cold in the winter, so I didn't bother with anything else. Some toiletries later and the cops were setting me on a plane, with a pamphlet about where I was going, and a babysitter to make sure I didn't split when I got to the airport.

 

   The camp was in the woods outside the town of Tripp. I would have a bunk in a cabin to sleep in, meals were served family style, and a team of counselors were on site so we could talk about why were were such dicks back at home. Single and group therapy, general education classes so we could get our GED's and all the bugs, bears and trees you could ever want.

 

   I was met at the airport by Dr. Oren. She was an Israeli lady with a thick accent and sad eyes. She pulled me into a large hug and apologized for my loss. Her glasses were colorful and had a beaded cord attached so she could hang them from her neck. I liked her immediately.

 

   The ride back to camp amounted to a two hour therapy session. Dr. Oren drove and grilled me on my behavior, and why I felt the need, and the entitlement to act the way I have been. She didn't pull any punches, and she didn't hesitate to call me out when I made some piss poor excuse.

 

   By the time we got to the camp, I didn't like her as much.

 

   The setting itself was beautiful. Snow capped mountains stretched out in the distance, and the 

expanse of woods we were in were dense, lush, and very green. The pine needles that littered the ground crunched pleasantly as she walked me to the cabin where I would be staying. My bunk was in the back of the cabin off on its own in a corner. There was a foot locker with a key at the foot of it, and a neatly folded pile of new sheets on top of it. The mattress sunk in in the middle from years of use, and it was situated right beneath one of the windows.

 

   There was a girl in there when Dr. Oren was helping me unpack. She was introduced to me as Shelby Stanton. Shelby had a scowl on her face from the time that I walked in the room, until the time she left the room at Dr. Oren's orders for not being welcoming.

 

    _This'll be fun,_ I rolled my eyes and locked up my clothing, only keeping my old Billabong jacket out. It was the thickest jacket I had, and was a bit too warm for the season, but I'd rather be warm than freezing.

  
  


  
  


   Four months later and life at the camp had become routine: wake up. Breakfast. Single therapy with Dr. Oren. Study. Lunch. Group therapy with Dr. Belzer. Study. Free time. Wind down. Bed.

 

 

   It wasn't bad, but it was boring. I found out that I was actually pretty smart when I actually sat down and studied, and I was almost done studying for my GED at sixteen. I set a goal to be done and have it before my birthday on the 31st. I only had a couple weeks left.

 

   I hadn't necessarily made friends here yet. I had acquaintances that I sat in silence with and read next to during free time, but I never sought anyone out to go do anything, and no one looked for me either. I remarked on a couple of occasions that I felt like a piece of scenery. Her response was to try more--but if all these kids were here for reasons I was here, or worse, what good would it do to make friends?

 

   So, I stuck with my reading group and kept my head down. Thankfully there was a really nice library in the town just down the road that had no problem lending books to try and save us felons-in-training, so there was no shortage of material.

 

   It was cold in the cabin, so I was reading in my jacket, with my lower half under the covers. Marta and Julie, the two girls in my reading group were doing the same on their respective bunks while Shelby played solitaire on the floor. The lights were dimmed, as was wind down tradition, when suddenly the room was illuminated with a blinding white light, streaming its way through my window.

 

   I winced and held up a hand to cover my eyes, and the other girls immediately did the same.

 

   "The fuck is that shit?"

 

   "Is Derrell playing a stupid joke? I'll punch him square in the nuts."

 

   "Derrell knows better." You could hear Shelby's eye roll from across the room.

 

   Even with a hand shading the brunt of the light from my vision it was like staring into the sun. I turned, swung my legs out of bed and stepped right into my boots. I was just getting to the climax of the story I was reading, and there was no way some fucking jerk from another cabin was going to ruin my chance to finish this before I went to sleep.

 

   "Where are you going?" Marta questioned pulling her hood down low over her eyes.

 

   "Out," I snapped, "I'm tired of this cabin wars bullshit. Someone's getting their ass beat." With that I 

marched out the door, and into the front room, which was suspiciously less bright. I ignored the couple of inquiries I got from the girls there and headed out the door, to the left, and around to the back of the cabin in the direction of the light.

 

   I saw a tall figure outside the window connected to the light, but it wasn't coming from a flashlight or a lantern, it was coming from a spotlight mounted to the shape's head--or what I assumed was its head. There was a weird shape to the figure, that I couldn't quite make out in the dark. My eyes had gotten as used to the brightness of the light, and now stepping into the dark I was at a severe disadvantage.

 

   "Hey, you!" I stepped a few paces closer and suddenly the light moved and headed off, breaking through the treeline next to the cabin and off into the woods. "Hey!" I called, taking off after the figure.

 

The woods streamed past me as I ran as fast as I could for not having my boots laced as I headed off after the light in the distance.

 

_ Damn, this fucker is fast _ , I began running various options of who it could be through my head and came up with a couple names of boys in the camp that were freakishly tall, and had rather long legs.

 

   I happened to be all leg myself, so while I wasn't gaining on the figure I wasn't falling behind. I matched the figure step for step, darting around trees and dodging large rocks until suddenly I realized the light gone.

 

_ Probabably hiding and scared shitless _ , I smirked as I continued on, hopping briskly over a large rock. The woods were thick, but having taken various walks in the area surrounding camp, I had a vague idea of where I was--the figure had to be in one of the large clearings that surrounded the camp. Good thing too, because when I got there and found out who it was, I'd need some room to maneuver so I could deliver a swift beating. There was very little moonlight that made its way through the trees, but there was just enough that I didn't bust my face as I broke through the treeline and into a rather large clearing.

 

    _The fuck is that,_ I slowed my pace gradually and looked at the foreign object off to my right, all thought of looking for the Peeping Tom, gone. It looked similar to one of the Alliance fighters my mother showed me a few years back after the branches had combined under one name. _Did I walk into some Alliance war games?_ I had heard rumors of the Alliance running drills and scenarios in the hugely underpopulated areas of the Dakotas, but I always thought they had been just that...rumors.

 

   The vessel was mostly white, with certain panels of red and black.  Its wings sloped down from the body, making it look almost  frog like from the way they were bent. There was a light coming from what I assumed was the rear end of the ship, the same brilliant white light, and I hoped it was a command station of some kind so that I could rat on the soldier that went peeping in my cabin.

 

   I strode in the direction of the ship ready with an exaggerated story of how the soldier peeped into our cabin and scared us girls half to death. Only I was brave enough to chase the intruder off and I expected something to be done about it.  I got close enough to the ship to touch it, and run my hand along the freezing cold metal. It was bigger than it looked from across the clearing and extended further than I thought it would from the slope of the wings.

 

   I rounded the corner of the back of the ship and looked into the brightness. The lights were facing down, so luckily I wasn't blinded when I stepped onto the ramp and headed into the hold. The inside was a drab military gray, and there were five seats on other side of me as well as closed compartments for storage in the front and the back.

   What's that, I 'hmm'd as I noticed what used to be a helmet on one of the seats. It was large, a bit too large for a standard helmet, and had had a weird rounded spike coming out of the back. It was of a decent size, but still too small to be a place for storage. The Alliance is weird, I frowned and dropped the helmet back onto the seat.

 

Interest waning, that's when I began to hear noises from outside the ship. It was the sound of chattering, what sounded to be a trilling sound, and low rumbles all mixed into one. There was also the sound of something electric being turned on, like how you would hear a gun in the movies being switched on.

 

I peered around the side of the ship and saw a group of tall figures heading my way. They seemed tall, and were wearing similar helmets to the one I saw on the ship. They all had generally the same build, and their arms were extra long and ended in…

 

_ Talons _ ? I gulped and my stomach dropped. The more I looked at the impending group the more alien they began to look and the more my fear rose. I looked quickly behind me for an escape and found none. My only way out would be to cross paths with the soldiers coming my way.

 

I gulped and tried to formulate a plan as best I could with my mind racing a mile a minute, and the best I could come up with was ‘run and don’t get caught’.  _ Great _ , I frowned at my own inability to figure a way out of this mess I had gotten myself into. 

 

I peeked again, and they were now maybe twenty feet away, it was now or never. My heart was pounding and my hands were sweaty, but I swallowed the lump that was growing in my throat and leapt down the ramp. My feet hit the bottom of the ramp with a deadened clang, and I thought that maybe I could make it. 

 

No sooner had my foot touched down, there was a pain in the side of my head and I was falling to the pine needle covered earth. I heard the same electric sound but this time a lot closer, and I turned my aching head to face it only to find myself staring down the barrel of a very strange gun, and heard what would have been talking if it had been in any intelligible language. It sounded like a mixture of a cat trilling, low growls, and clicks. 

 

_ Oh god, I'm going to die out here, _ I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for the impending gun blast. At least I would be with my mom again, right? 

 

When the blast never came, I peeked out from behind strands of my dirty blonde hair and noticed that the gun was off me, and there was a taloned hand outstretched, pointing back into the ship. The being nodded its head in the same direction punctuating its want. 

 

“O...okay,” I nodded and slowly rose from my prone position to a seated one. I noticed there were more of those things in the ship, and a few were around where I was laying, blocking any means of escape. I got onto my knees and did my best to stand, but my the knot on the side of my head from where I had been hit didn't like the change in elevation and so I stumbled and began to fall. 

 

I fell into something hard. Something hard and cold. It didn't have the crunch the ground did, so it wasn't that.  _ Is it one of them, _ my eyes widened at the thought of touching one of those...whatever they were, and I wondered if now I was covered in some weird radiation that was going to give me cancer in twenty years. 

 

Quickly I righted myself and looked off to the side at the one that had caught me. Tan and black armor. I nodded my thanks to the creature—hoping it would understand, or that I hadn't just told him to fuck his mother or something, and headed up the ramp into uncertainty. 

 

 

 


	2. Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The eyes are what stopped me. Intelligent, feral, and a piercing green. They studied me as I studied it in turn, flitting slightly over the other, sizing each other up, and just generally taking in the sight of a new being without the barrier of armor in between.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smaller chapters = quicker updates. :)
> 
> I'm having fun with this one so far.

* * *

 

_I'm being abducted_ , my mind repeated over and over as I walked up the short ramp into the bay of the ship. I was never one of those people to entertain the thoughts of aliens being real, and here I was being followed into a UFO by a squad of armored and armed aliens. _Fuck me._

 

   The scarier thought was that other than the councilors at the camp, there was no one to care that I went missing. For all they would know I ran away, or just got lost in the woods and eaten by a bear. There would be a search--possibly an Amber Alert and then I'd end up on the back of a milk carton...but no one was left to truly miss me.

 

   I was directed to sit on one of the bench seats by the alien in the tan and black armor. I took it quickly as my legs were shaking so hard that I didn't know how much longer standing would be an option. I looked around at the rest of them--all of them in earth toned and metal armor standing around, blocking the exit, looking somewhat nonchalant if you put any sort of human graces on them. Guns were strapped to their backs, taloned hands at their sides, and most seemed to be chattering to each other, barely casting a glance except for the one in tan that sat across from me and began reaching for its helmet.

 

   It happened as if in slow motion--the click of the helmet being released from its mount, and the tilt of the head as the helmet came off slowly revealing the true creature beneath. It was bone in color and had an upper and lower jaw, the upper being bowed up slightly, but it also had mandibles on either side of its mouth that fluttered with every breath that it took. The helmet rose more and I could see blue markings, painted onto its face, going across it's flat nose and around its eyes.

 

   The eyes are what stopped me. Intelligent, feral, and a piercing green. They studied me as I studied it in turn, flitting slightly over the other, sizing each other up, and just generally taking in the sight of a new being without the barrier of armor in between.

 

   I noticed the chattering had stopped, and I looked over at the others who were watching the silent exchange between the white alien and myself. A sharp chattering click from one, sent the un-helmeted creature into an uproar. It rose, pointed to the one that had made the noise, and then at the seat, before gesturing to the others to do the same. It then walked over to a door opposite the closing ramp and banged on it three times.

 

    _I'm going to puke_ ,  I wrapped my arms around my stomach and doubled over, swallowing quickly trying to make sure what could have been my last meal stayed in my stomach as the other aliens took seats. Most ended up on the other side of the bay, looking at me from behind their visors, but the tan-armored alien fluidly and without hesitation took a seat next to me.

 

   The pitch of the ship's hum began to change as it prepared for flight, getting louder and more shrill. It was almost to the point of pain, but I seemed to be the only one that noticed it. My alien companions were relaxed in their seats keeping an idle eye on me while they waited to go back to...

 

    _Where are they taking me?_ I frowned into the arms of my jacket. _Am I going to some mothership above the planet? Are they taking me back to study me? Is it going to hurt?_ Tears began to well up in the corners of my eyes as I contemplated the very real possibility of being experimented on for the rest of my life.

 

   There was a sudden drop in my stomach, and the shrill sound stopped. The only thing left was the slight humming of the engines, and the pressure pushing me to my left as the ship began to move. _Did I just leave Earth?_

 

   For some reason that got me, and the tears that had been storing themselves, waiting for the right time to fall began to do so quickly and with force. I let out a ragged sob, and buried my face further into my arms as to quiet my anguish. I was definitely in the state of 'ugly crying' and the very teenage-girl human reaction to hide my face outweighed my need for oxygen. My head pounded with every gasp for air, and every cry that escaped with every exhale.

 

   The ride began to get bumpy at that point. I was jostled enough to have to move my arms to the edge of the seat as to not bump into the alien next to me, and I could hear tiny metallic 'clinks' as the other alien's armor hit each other. That and the sound of my sobbing carried us through the atmosphere and out into open space. The ride again smoothed out, and the jostling stopped. _I'm officially not on Earth anymore_ ,  I let out another raspy sob.

 

   There was some movement next to me while I grieved for the life I could have had. The sound of something like a zipper and then a quick rustling. Then, suddenly, cold on the side of my head, pressing against the goose egg that was left from being hit by the gun. I jumped at the change of temperature and righted myself to see what was going on.

 

   The tan-armored alien was holding something silver that seemed slightly squishy in its taloned hand. Is that a cold pack? My crying lulled as I contemplated the fact that an advanced species still used cold packs that looked like something from Earth. The alien moved it's hand slightly towards me and opened its talons, offering the cold pack to me. I glanced up and over and saw its mandibles flutter softly as its mouth moved expelling clicks and trills that I didn't understand.

 

   I wondered why if I had been taken it seemed like my captors...or at least one of them was trying to tend to the wound that one of them had given me. _Maybe this one was a medic and it had to tend to me?_ The cold did feel nice, I took a deep shuddering breath trying to calm myself, and reached a shaky hand out and grabbed the ice pack, withdrawing my hand quickly as to not linger near what looked to be blunt, but hard talons.

 

   The ice pack was heaven against my aching skull. I was silently thankful to the tan-armored alien as the crying jag I had just barely rid myself of had made the pain ten times worse. As my head was bowed I began to feel something run down my temple and begin to bead there. It couldn't have been sweat because even with my jacket on there was a definite chill in the air. Finally I saw a drop of red out of the corner of my eye fall to the metal floor and 'splat' leaving a tiny red mark on the otherwise pristine ship.

 

   I rose quickly, and felt myself instantly wobble as my vertigo went on the fritz, and knocked lightly into the tan-armored alien, there was a slight rumbling sensation I felt as we made contact, that reminded me of my childhood cat when she would purr. I pulled myself into a righted position using the edge of my seat and brought my free hand up to the side of my head pulling the ice pack away.

 

    _Fuck_ , I looked at the icepack and saw red. A lot of red. My other hand touched the side of my face to see how bad the bleeding had gotten and came away wet and shining with fresh blood. _No wonder I'm dizzy._ I brought my hand to the wound that was a couple inches above my right ear and felt around gently. I winced through the enormous pain that my fingers brought but I surmised that the gun had left a two inch gash on the side of my head that seemed to have trouble clotting, from the look of my hands and the ice pack.

 

   The hair around the wound was now matted and saturated with blood, and was probably what was slowing the flow as it soaked up the majority of the bodily fluid, but now that it was soaked, the tiny rivers were flowing freely down my head, around my ear, and down my neck.

 

   I was beginning to feel dizzier at the sight of all the blood. Though I had been in a few fights in my day, I had never stuck around to see the aftermath, and wasn't used to seeing blood in such large amounts. I looked up and over at the tan-armored alien, propping myself up with my other arm on the free seat next to me, and whimpered:

 

   "I think I need a doctor."

 

   The alien's response would have been almost comical if I hadn't been in a state of near passing out. It looked at me, its eyes going from intelligent and fierce to clear and vivid worry. Its mouth opened in a high trill, and I could feel a descent rumble from him through our connected seats. It looked from me, and my wound, over to the others, which made their own noises back at it, starting a conversation I couldn't understand. What happened next, I could only describe as the alien not getting the response it wanted as it reached over and pounded the door at the front of the ship, letting out a lion like roar.

 

   In response, I fell into the free seat next to me as the speed of the ship suddenly increased. I heard another shrill trill from next to me, and a few quieter ones from across the way, that almost sounded like human worry. Part of me wanted to force myself back up to show that I wasn't weak, that I was useful in some way to hopefully sway them in some manner, but the other part of me couldn't manage so much as to wipe the blood that was slowly dripping into my eyes.

 

   The world began to get fuzzy, and redder as we went on. I felt the taloned hand of the alien next to me on my arm, as it leaned over and peered around my puffy jacket to see my face, concern running deep in its striking green eyes. I blinked slowly as my eyelids became heavier, staring deep into the emerald orbs of the alien above me.

 

   "Doctor," I whispered as my eyes closed of their own accord, too weak to open again on their own. I was cold, and tired. At this point, not even the general threat of five alien's surrounding me could keep me going. My consciousness was slowly shutting itself off, needing to conserve energy to recoup from the wound I had received less than thirty minutes before.

 

   "Doc...tor."

 

* * *

 

_ Its fucking freezing in here. Are we there yet? _ I listened for the hum of the engines of the alien ship and heard nothing. Silence.   _ Where am I?  _ My arms and legs felt heavy as I tried to move them. Instead of the slick metal of the seats of the ship, I felt the soft pad of a mattress.

 

    _What?_ I patted around and yep, I was not where I was. It had seemed almost instantaneous--losing consciousness on the ship, and now ending up here, freezing, covered in goosebumps and wondering where I had ended up.

 

   The fact that I was somewhere not on Earth didn't escape me. I didn't know where I was, but I knew where I wasn't. My eyelids still felt incredibly heavy, and didn't want to open. I was fine with that, it felt good to have them shut. I sniffed back a glob of snot, clearing my throat and decided that even though I was probably going to get some weird bird/cat noise back, that I might as well try and see if someone was there.

 

   "Hello?"

 

   "Hello."

 

   My eyes immediately shot open at the sound of a response in English. My head turned wildly as I looked around for the human that surely had to be nearby, and my eyes landed on a black armored alien that was looking back at me from what looked to be steepled talons.

 

   This one looked different from the tan-armored one. He was a dark brown in color and had white markings all across his face. The only thing similar was the green eyes, and I wondered briefly if all of the aliens had green eyes.

 

   My head throbbed as I rose from my prone position and moved to seat myself upright. I brought my hand to the side of my head and felt stitches now in place along with the pain and...

 

   "You shaved my head?"

 

   "You needed stitches."

 

   My head didn't feel lighter, and I did feel the weight of my shoulder-length hair on my back, so I knew it wasn't all gone. I patted lightly around, being sure to avoid the stitches and found that they had just shaved the one side, leaving the top and back in place.

 

   "Now I look like a Skrillex reject," I moped.

 

   "I don't understand the reference," the alien responded.

 

   "Sorry...musician, has the same haircut," I frowned and dropped my hands to my side. Not only had I been abducted, but I had immediately gotten a make under by my captors. _Wonderful_.

 

   "We need to speak, human." Its tone was deep, and seemed to have multiple tones to it at the same time. It was kind of a beautiful sound to be honest, almost musical, though the words themselves were flat.

 

   "Okay," I slowly gathered my legs to me in a lotus position and scooted myself so I was facing the alien. "I have some questions myself."

 

   "Speak your mind," he responded, un-tenting his talons and leaning back into what looked to be a more relaxed position.

 

   "Why did you abduct me, is my first question. Followed by why the hell did one of you see fit to bash my head in with a gun, and why was one of you peeking in my window late at night. I want to know where I am, I want to know what is going to happen to me," bile rose in my throat as I babbled on and the tears were making a comeback.

 

   The alien's mouth closed tightly as I was speaking, but its mandibles began to flutter lightly as my voice slowly became filled with emotion. When I was done, and nearly on the verge of tears, he leaned forward and put a taloned hand on my knee. I didn't jump, but I stilled.

 

   "You were taken because you saw too much. Not because we want to hurt you, not because we wanted to take away your family, just because we can't have Humans know we exist. You are young, and curious, but that shouldn't carry a death penalty," he squeezed my knee lightly, and I realized his talons were blunted--not sharp like I had previously thought. "You were in our shuttle, and my men couldn't tell how young you were from what little they saw, so that is why they struck you. They couldn't be sure you weren't attacking. As for what is going to happen to you...that is not up to me."

 

   "What do you mean," I paled.

 

   "There is a Galactic Council, made up of my, and two other species that will decide what will come of you. Humanity is nowhere near ready for the responsibility that the Galactic stage brings. We come to Earth on occasion to monitor your progress, and that is what we were doing as you stumbled upon us. That being said, you would be the first and only human to leave the Sol system, and that brings change for us. Do we lay hands in Humanity and uplift them so you are not alone? Do we leave you alone in a strange place to as the only member of your species, or do we extinguish a life that has barely begun...that is what the council must decide."

 

   "Fuck me," I muttered and hung my head. This was too much. I would almost welcome the ease that captivity and experimentation would bring.  "What do you think they'll say?"

 

   "I don't know," the alien responded solemnly. "I just hope it is not your death."

 

   "Thanks," I gave him a small smile. "And thanks for coming to talk to me, I'm glad one of you speaks English."

 

   "I'm not speaking English," he responded with a slight rumbling laugh. "While you were asleep we took the liberty of giving you a sub-dermal translator so we could communicate."

 

   "Wait--what? You put something in me?" _There's the experimentation._ I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself.

 

   "It was necessary to communicate. Its a bit of a flight to the Citadel and we didn't want to have to play charades the entire time." The alien stood and stretched out its arms, and I heard the telltale sign of a back crack.

 

   "So...what do I do until we get there?" I rubbed my arm self consciously and looked around the room. There were several beds like the one I was on, and against the far wall there were tubes and what seemed to be giant injectors on the counter. _Med bay?_

 

   "You, little Human, will come with me and meet the crew. They're dying to meet a real Human, and someone owes you an apology." He laughed lightly and waved me forward.

 

   "Name's Rebecca," I offered. 'Little Human' was a cute nickname, but I didn't need something else calling attention to the fact that now I was the token alien on a ship of extraterrestrials.

 

   "Nihlus Kryik," he nodded his 'hello' hand still outstretched. "Shall we?"

 

   I unfolded my legs and hopped off the table being sure to keep a hand on the edge of the mattress to steady myself. Once I was sure my legs weren't going to buckle, and I wouldn't face plant onto the metal floor, I let go and took a few small steps towards the tall creature.

 

   "Hey, Nihlus," I had to crane my neck to look up at him.

 

   "Yes, Rebecca?"

 

   "What species are you guys? All I know you as is 'alien' and well you know I'm 'Human' and I don't want to offend...you know...might save my life if I'm not offending everyone and their mother..." I wrung my hands together as I spoke. Knowing my life might be on the line had me on edge, and as much as it would suck to be the only Human for the rest of my life, it would be better than being killed at fifteen.

 

   "Hah," he chuckled. "We're Turians. Don't worry, if you're about to offend someone, I'll let you know, and since we have three or so days until we hit the Citadel, we can get some cultural training in."

 

   "Thanks," I nodded my appreciation and took a few steps closer to the large Turian. "So, time to meet the crew?"

  
  
  


 


	3. Maturity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Turians had been very accommodating, and all of them had been in general, very nice, but I was always very aware that I wasn't home. I was nowhere near my planet, and I would never see it again. These foreign faces, and a few more I hadn't met yet, would be the only visages I would see for the rest of my life. I would never see another human in the flesh ever again.

* * *

 

 

The door to the med bay 'woosh'ed open quietly, and all eyes were on me. That was fine, I didn't care--I was more concerned with the large holographic star system above it. I'd never seen anything like it--it looked like there was thickness to it that holograms back home couldn't hope to achieve.

 

   Nihlus chuckled quietly as he watched me marvel at the mini galaxy in the center of the room. He let me have a few moments before placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll show you that later--for now, come meet Sencia. She’s been wanting to see you awake.”

 

   “Oh,” was my only response. I took it Sencia was the doctor aboard, and I was hoping what I knew about Human doctors didn’t translate across species. We walked toward the table and the mini galaxy to a slightly slimmer Turian, not wearing armor, but cloth. _I guess this is what their everyday wear looks like?_ There was a variety of textures, the main being a smooth soft white, with different panels of a ribbed royal blue on the insides of the arms, and the outsides of her legs.

 

   Her head was shaped differently as well. instead of the spikey bits sticking out of the back of her head like Nihlus and the other Turian had, the jigsaw like plates that made up her face wrapped halfway around the back of her head at odd intervals. I did notice, that instead of just the foreign plating showing, she had skin as well. It was dark, almost leather like in color, and seemed to be only on her neck. _Aliens are weird,_ I did my best to smile politely as we approached her.

 

   “Rebecca, this is Dr. Sencia Albanis. She’s the one that stitched you up and got you on the mend,” Nihlus sounded proud of his doctor. I could understand why--she may have just been the first Turian to work on a Human.

 

   “Pleasure to meet you, Miss...” Dr. Albanis reached out a taloned hand that was only slightly smaller than Nihlus’. I hesitated only momentarily before taking her hand, I was still getting used to the whole three finger thing.

 

   “Shepard,” I responded, voice quiet and unsure. “Thank you for stitching me up...sorry I’m so...foreign.” My face reddened a bit at my words, though they were the truth.

 

   “Oh--oh, no, dear, no need to worry about me,” Dr. Albanis’s other hand joined the shake cupping mine gently. “I’m just sorry I had to cut your...what do you call what’s on your head?”

 

   “Hair,” I reflexively reached up and touched the short bits of hair that were left. “It grows back, don’t worry about it. I’ll make this look work. Who knows, maybe I’ll keep it, and show off my scar...if I get one.”

 

   “Glass half full kind of girl,” the female Turian’s hands retreated, and clasped themselves together while her mandibles fluttered--the closest human equivalent I could think of for it was a smile based off her voice, and I too smiled in return. It didn’t seem to phase the Dr, so I guessed smiling was okay.

 

   “In my situation I kind of have to be,” I shrugged, wrapping my own arms around my mid-section, suddenly very aware I was in and old jacket, no bra, and pajama pants. _Ugh, couldn’t I have been abducted during the day? Christ._ I didn’t know if the Turians had concept of boobs--but I hoped none of them had taken notice of mine--they weren’t at their best unless they were locked and loaded into one of my many push-up bras.

 

   “That’s right,” Dr. Albanis suddenly seemed uncomfortable. Her gaze shifted quickly to Nihlus and then back down to me. “Well I should really get back to work,” her hand went for mine, which I shook again and she was off back into the door I had come out of.

 

   “Well that wasn’t awkward,” I craned my neck to look up at Nihlus who was a step off to the right and behind me, like some sort of giant guardian angel.

 

   “Sencia is a notorious worry wart. She is usually a glass half empty person,” his tone was light so I decided not to think too much about what had caused the female Turian to worry.

 

   “Anyway, time to meet the away team,” he paused and looked like he was thinking for a moment before adding:  “...again.”

 

   “So the Peeping Tom, Assault-with-a-Deadly-Weapon, and the Stand-by’s?” I snorted. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to meet the away team, except for maybe the one in tan. He, if my assumption on how to determine Turian sex was correct, was the only one worth talking to in my book. The others either got me into this mess, attacked me, or looked at me like I had two heads.

 

   Nihlus let out a roaring multi-toned laugh, causing Dr. Albanis to stick her head out of the med bay door to see what was going on. The brown and white Turian continued to guffaw to the point that he had to use the edge of the round table as a brace to keep himself mostly upright.

 

   “Glad my pain amuses you,” I rolled my eyes, and without even thinking lightly shoved the shoulder plate of Nihlus’ armor.

 

   Slowly, he quieted down, and righted himself. “Oh Spirits,” he breathed. “The guys are going to love you. Come on, Rebecca.”  He headed off toward the wider end of the room and walked behind a half wall that blended in so seamlessly with the rest of the space I hadn’t even noticed there was a way to get through. I followed diligently, watching him call for an elevator as I neared.

 

   “Now I’m nervous,” I quipped, still slightly annoyed that he had laughed so hard. It was his men that got me into this situation. I didn’t even know if I’d be allowed to live once I got to the council and he was laughing? I hoped that meant good things for my future.

 

   The doors to the elevator opened and we stepped in. Nihlus pushed the button and a moment later we we going down to the level below. I was slightly amazed that aside from polish, the elevator was exactly the same as ones back home--call button and everything.

 

   We stopped and the doors opened. I could immediately hear cackling laughter echoing from somewhere on the floor, and again my ire was peaked. Nihlus chuckled, and stepped out with my petulant ass close behind. He rounded another half wall and the laughter stopped.

 

   “At ease,” Nihlus’ voice was different. It was deeper, and more commanding. I guessed he was the true leader of the group, then? The chatter started up again, and after a moment, I heard another voice:

  
  


 

   “So, did I kill the Human or what?” There was an edge of panic to his words.

 

   “No you didn’t kill her,” another voice rose up from the din, “Nihlus wouldn’t be standing there if you did, he’d be beating your head in for causing a galactic incident.”

 

   “Truer words,” Nihlus commented quietly and stepped back to take a look at me. “Well come on, like I said you’re owed an apology.”

 

   Normally I liked being the center of attention back at home. I was the life of the party, the one that always got things going, and the class clown--probably why I had gotten expelled. Now, though, standing here in my pajamas, about to face a group of Turian soldiers, I suddenly felt exposed and way, way out of my element.

 

   I shuffled forward, boots slightly squeaking against the metal floor and slowly rounded the corner. There they were, sitting around a table, plates of what looked like a weird paste in front of them, staring at me with varying ranges of awe, and intrigue. I zeroed in at the one in tan and black armor that had given me the ice pack, and gave him an unsure smile.

 

   “Well, Plamus,” Nihlus’ tone was cajoling and slightly patronizing.

 

   “Sorry,” the one I had been looking at mumbled, and my unsure smile turned into a hardened frown. “I didn’t know if you were attacking or not--I just...I just reacted.”  His mandibles closed tightly to his face, and his head hung low as he spoke.

 

   “And I’m sorry I got curious,” another one spoke, as he turned in his seat to get a better look at me. “I was supposed to be quiet about scouting the camp, and not attract attention, but--”

 

   “You failed like you always do, Canion?” A third jabbed.

 

   The table decimated into laughter and babbling once more all except for Plamus whose piercing green eyes were still trained on me from his lowered stance.

 

   “We’re cool,” I mumbled and the chatter stopped, all of them once again trained on me. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I blushed. It was quiet for a few moments before one in ochre and black armor piped up:

 

   “Now that, that situation is settled....spar?” He looked around excitedly at each member of the group. They  eventually all returned a nod, grabbed their trays of goop and headed off to what looked to be the kitchen area to turn their trays in. Nihlus and I watched them head off towards the elevator quietly.

 

After the doors had shut, Nihlus looked at me, and shrugged. I shrugged in return. "So where do you want to go now? We can go visit the pilot, we can go to engineering?"

 

   As he spoke I could feel it building--a strong and inescapable yawn the likes of which had probably never been seen this side of the Solar System. I tried to stop it, but all I did was draw out the inevitable, and I ended up letting out the world's loudest yawn after he finished his second question.

 

   I went red in the face, again, and covered my mouth with my hands but it was too late. The yawn was out there and hung between us.  "Sorry," I mumbled from behind my hands, "I guess I'm wiped out."

 

   "As you should be. Its been a long night, now...where to put you..." I waited a few moments while he began counting something on his talons, which made me smile as it seemed a very Human thing to do. Eventually he sighed and looked over at me,  his mandibles fluttering into what was becoming known as a Turian smile. "Looks like we've gotta put you in my room for the night. Bunks are full, and I can't make my crew give up the only comfort they've got."

 

   "What about you, though?" I frowned not liking the idea of anyone giving up any space for me.

 

   "Well, my room has a bed and a couch so I'll take the couch for the night. I've slept in less comfortable places, so it's fine. You're not putting me out." He nodded his head in the direction of the elevator and this time I didn't hesitate--in fact I beat him there. The idea of a bed was too tantalizing to pass up, and I figured I'd take him at his word of not being put out.

 

   The ride up the elevator was quiet, only punctuated every so often by one of my powerful yawns. By the look of the panel on the wall, we were on the third level and were headed to the first. The elevator was swift, and in no time at all the doors were opening to a small hallway, with another door down the hall to the left.

 

   Nihlus breezed past me and the door opened as soon as he neared as if by magic. He stood in the doorway while I neared and peered into the room. I don't know why I was expecting something strange when he said he had a couch, but his room was almost exactly like a Human room, just sized a bit differently when it came to the bed, which was a bit longer.

 

   I walked into the room and looked closely around at everything. There were models of foreign ships hanging from the ceiling, and on the shelves above the desk by the door. To the right of the entry was an open door to what I assumed from the sink barely visible inside, was a bathroom. Further in there was a step down into the bedroom area that held the bed, a rather sizeable sectional couch and a coffee table with the parts of another ship model laid out ready to be put together.

 

   I chuckled slightly under my breath as I stepped down and neared the bed, good manners were not keeping me from crashing out in the next ten minutes.

 

   "What?" Nihlus questioned from behind me.

 

   "You're a nerd," I gestured to the model parts before I unzipped my jacket and shrugged it off my shoulders. The chill of the room hit me giving rise to another set of goosebumps, but I didn't care--I liked to be cocooned while I slept, which really only worked in a cold environment.

 

   "Heh, guess I am," amusement was thick in his voice. I heard the slight squeak of what sounded like leather and turned to see him seated in front of the model, already looking intently at the pieces, trying to find what goes together next.

 

   "I won't tell the others, they might break your glasses."

 

   "What? I don't--"

 

   "--Get the reference, yeah..." I suddenly felt very sad. The Turians had been very accommodating, and all of them had been in general, very nice, but I was always very aware that I wasn't home. I was nowhere near my planet, and I would never see it again. These foreign faces, and a few more I hadn't met yet, would be the only visages I would see for the rest of my life. I would never see another human in the flesh ever again.

 

   I kicked off my boots,  tossed the jacket onto the foot of the bed and crawled over it to get to the top pulling the covers down as I neared. The sheets were extremely soft, and I wondered briefly if this was because Nihlus liked soft sheets, or if the rough looking plates on Nihlus' body made the sheets soft. Either way I appreciated the feeling, and snuggled myself deep into what seemed to be a thin sheet and a thick comforter.

 

I laid there on my side, head on the mountain of pillows that were at the head of the bed, and sighed. Now that I was lying down I was wide awake.  _  This sucks. _ Sniffing back tears I rolled away from the Turian just to make sure that if he ever looked up from his model that he wouldn't see me cry.

 

    _I want to go home_ , I squeezed my eyes shut letting the hot salty tears spill out of my ducts and onto the clean white pillows. Sure my life back on Earth wasn't anything to write about, but it was mine, and it didn't come with an almost set-in-stone expiration date.

 

   It was at that point I sniffed a little louder than I would have liked, and the soft noises coming from the other side of the room stopped. I froze, barely breathing hoping he would think I was asleep. For some reason I equated crying with being weak, and I didn't want to put my inability to cope on my species.

 

   "Rebecca," Nihlus' deep multi-toned voice cut through the stillness.  "Are you okay? ...I know you're awake, I can hear your heart beating."

 

    _How? Ughhhhh..._ I rolled over silently and regarded him with wet eyes. He looked me over, let out a small sigh and put down his modeling glue. Nihlus rose and meandered over to the side of the bed closer to him and sat down on the edge. "You want to talk about it?"

 

    _Yes. ...No...I dunno,_ my thoughts raced as I tried to figure out what I wanted. Did I want to tell Nihlus why I was upset? In some part yes, because I knew if I got it out I would feel better. In other ways, no because it wouldn't change anything so why bother?

 

   My response was a weak shrug.  Nihlus' eyes swam with amusement as his talons tapped rhythmically on the plates of his leg armor. "I can wait as long as you like. It's my ship, not like I'm going anywhere."

 

    _Fair point..._ I sighed heavily and rose into a seated position, curling my legs into the lotus position. I dropped my hands into my lap and tried to figure out a way to start :

  
  


 

   "I...I guess I'm just thinking about all the things I'll never get to see again, or do again...it's just making me sad, is all." He nodded quietly as I spoke. "Like, I'm never going to see that same sunset again, or touch a pine needle, or kiss a boy...well a Human boy, anyway."

 

   A quiet noise of surprise sounded to my left, drawing my attentions away from the pattern on the comforter to the face of my chaperone. "What?"

 

   "You would consider romantic relationships with an alien species?" Nihlus almost sounded as if he didn't believe me more than he sounded curious. It was true that I wasn't necessarily out on the prowl now and looking for love, but I have needs, and when they need to be met, something would have to give.

 

   "I'm not a nun, Nihlus. Girl's gotta have someone out in this fuck off huge universe, ya know? And since my entire species has been taken out of the equation...at least for now, alien species are my only options."

 

   "What is a 'nun'? I don't understand the entire reference."

 

   "For the purpose of this conversation all you need to know is it's a woman that doesn't have sex." This seemed to give him pause. He studied me for a minute, looking like he wanted to ask another question, but was unsure of how to ask it, or if he should ask it. I nudged him lightly on the shoulder:  "Out with it, Nihlus."

 

   "You have...mated?" His head tilted as he asked, his mandibles closing tight to his face. I wasn't sure exactly what that expression meant, but it for sure wasn't what I'd come to recognize as a Turian smile.

 

   "Yeah, a few times," I shrugged.

 

   "But you're not an adult?"

 

    _Nice round about way of calling me a kid, asshole._ A frown stretched its way across my face at his question.  "Yes I am. Age of consent in South Dakota--where you picked me up from is sixteen. On top of that, I've lived to see my mother die, so that kind of takes the childlike innocence right out of you," I snapped.

 

   "Hit a nerve, did I?"

 

   "I think its bullshit I'm being taken to represent my race to a council of aliens, to pretty much make first contact for Humanity, and still be thought of as nothing more than a snot nose kid." My hands balled into fists as I spoke, "If I'm expected to make first contact--which is a mature and important role--I want to be treated as such."

 

   Nihlus again nodded while I spoke, showing he was listening. When I was done with my small rant, he 'hmmm'd and put a taloned hand on my knee. "Fair enough. I see the point you're making, and I agree. Not saying all others will, but I do."

 

   I sighed and relaxed a bit. "I just don't want people giving me whiplash by deciding by the moment whether I'm an adult or a child. The more people around me that understand, the less that'll happen."

 

   "You've handled yourself with an amazing amount of maturity given the situation, and I think that even someone ten years your senior would have some trouble coping if put in your shoes. Once others realize that, I don't think you'll have too much of a problem."

 

   "Thanks Nihlus," I yawned and rolled my head letting the vertebrae in my neck crack loudly. "Talking really helped," he nodded again, rose, and headed back to the couch to return to his model building.

 

   I laid down and closed my eyes hoping that tomorrow would be easier than today was. Maybe I could learn some more about Turian culture--or possibly a bit about the other species I would be meeting in two days time? All I knew is that for the foreseeable future, every day would be new, awe inspiring, and bittersweet.

  
  
  


 


	4. Induction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>    "Oh God," I buried my face in my hands as the heat worsened. I could hear the others murmuring in confusion at my reaction. I had been here less than twenty-four hours and had already accidentally made sexual advances on the captain of the ship I was on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thanks so much for all the response I've been getting--be it kudos, comments, bookmarks. It really keeps me motivated!
> 
> That being said I don't want to burn out, so next chapter will be at the end of this week. Going to take a break for a few days.

 

  "Hey, Rebecca, time to get up," a taloned hand was shaking me awake a bit too vigorous for my liking, so I immediately swatted at the aggressor, inciting a laugh from my chaperone, who ignored my flippant gesture and continued to jostle me awake. "Come on, it's oh-eight-hundred hours. We're already getting a late start."

 

    _Eight o'clock in the morning? Fuck me. Can't a girl sleep in the first full day of her abduction for christ sakes?_ "Fuck off, Nihlus," I mumbled into my soft pillow.  

 

   "Wish I could, but I have a ship to run," the pride in his voice at the mention of his ship was almost adorable....almost. It was still too early for anything to be adorable. His hand retreated, so I snuggled into my cocoon further, but I should have known something was coming from the long beat of inactivity.

 

   With no notice, the covers were snatched off of me and off the bed, leaving me lying on my stomach, and my pajama pants wedged in my ass crack from rolling around. Lovely, Shepard. I shivered at the sudden temperature change, moving only to turn my head and shoot daggers at Nihlus.

 

   "I told you," was his only response as he threw the balled up sheet and comforter onto the shorter end of the love seat and began fixing the cuffs of what I could only describe as a tunic. It was similar to what Sencia was wearing just a bit more angular in cut, I guess to mimic how Male Turians were more angular than the females. The tunic itself was a rich dark black with silver fasteners across his chest. There was an blood red undershirt, that reminded me of a Human turtleneck that he wore under the main tunic, and his pants matched with red embellishments along the legs.

 

   "Oh shut up," I groused and sat, immediately feeling cold on my breasts, where I shouldn't be feeling cold if I was-- "Oh God!" I looked down and saw the peaks of my breasts poking out from under the raised hemline of my  tank top. Immediately my hands shot to where the bottom of my shirt was, right beneath my armpits, and pulled the thin fabric back down to my waist. "Shit."

 

   "What," Nihlus took a step forward, head tilted as he scrutinized me, "what just happened?"

 

   "Well, you just saw me half naked," I drew my knees to my chest to block his intense that was zeroed in directly on my breasts. I was pretty sure that Nihlus was staring because he hadn't seen a pretty much toppless female Human before, and I was equally as sure that he wasn't turned on by seeing them either. Still, ingrained shame got the better of me and I had ended up calling more attention to it by freaking out.

 

   "Oh...OH," he turned, head low to give me some semblance of privacy.

 

    _Too little too late, Nihlus,_ I took the opportunity to look down and make sure my nipples were no longer able to cut glass. Thankfully they had gone down, so I felt comfortable enough to swing my legs over to the side of the bed and stand.

 

    "I'm sorry, I didn't realize...I was...oh shit," Nihlus fumbling with his words was a hilarious thing to hear coming from someone who had seemed so cool and collected yesterday.

 

    _Bathroom_ , my eyes widened at the sight of the doorway off past the embarrassed Turian. I really needed to pee. I hadn't even thought about it last night due to being on such an adrenaline high, but now that I was calmer, bodily functions were taking back their normal schedules.    

 

   I padded over to where Nihlus was, standing in the perfect spot to be blocking the walkway to the bathroom, and shuffled between him and the dresser. The top of his dresser was lined with model ships, and I didn't want to jostle them, so I put a hand out on Nihlus' waist to steady myself as I moved between the Turian and the dresser.

 

    I felt Nihlus still at my touch, and a large low rumble moved through him and up my arm as my hand moved around his waist. I thought it might have been surprise that I had initiated contact, seeing as how I hadn't done so yet, so I didn't bother to question him once I came out the other side and headed off quickly to the bathroom.

 

   The bathroom was bare bones, a small lip to keep the shower water in a certain area of the tiled room, a toilet and a sink with a small cabinet. I took my time using the bathroom due to not having done so in a while. During the process, I heard Nihlus mumbling outside the closed door and wondered what was going on. _Did I make him too late?_ Surely he can't get in trouble--it's his ship. I finished up and went to go wash my hands. Luckily he had soap.

 

   I walked back out with a bit of pep in my step to find Nihlus pacing by the door. His pace was urgent and full of import. "What's up," I questioned as I quietly slid the bathroom door half closed behind me.

 

   The Turian jumped a bit, probably not having heard me leave the solitude of the bathroom and turned to look at me, mandibles tight to his face. "Nothing," his commander voice was in full swing. "I just have to attend to some things. I'm going to have Plamus look after you today."

 

   "Oh," I frowned. I was kind of excited to spend the day pseudo running the ship with Nihlus, and pretending to be in charge. However, I guessed shooting the shit with a group of Turian soldiers would be kind of fun. I could always share some of my mom's stories from when she was enlisted. "Okay, I guess that'd be cool."

 

   "Good, he'll be here in a moment," Nihlus' voice seemed tight and strained, and I began to slightly worry that something was wrong either with the ship or my actions that had caused the sudden change in demeanor.  He wasn't pacing anymore, but standing a good distance away hands folded across his chest, looking briskly from the floor in front of him.

 

    _Something is wrong for sure,_ the corner of my mouth twitched down as I watched his mandibles flutter slightly against his face, though not in the free and loose way their smiling seemed to be. More constrained and controlled. Almost as if he was grinding his teeth.

 

   I was about to cajole him into sharing what was wrong, when there was a knock at the door. Nihlus jumped again, and headed immediately over to the door to allowing it to open by his proximity. Standing there on the other side of the door was Plamus, who was also out of his armor and in casual dress.

 

   "I am needed elsewhere," Nihlus looked at his subordinate, trading green stare for green stare. "Keep her safe," he ordered, walking out of the room briskly toward the elevator, not even sparing me a glance.

 

    _Well fuck you, too, buddy_. The other corner of my mouth followed suit to complete the frown. Plamus looked at me with that same intense stare as from when I first saw him without his helmet. Eventually he blinked, and his mandibles fluttered into a smile. "So, how are you feeling today...Rebecca?"

 

   "Yeah, you got it," I nodded and forced a grin though I was still a bit peeved by Nihlus' behavior. "I'm feeling okay...a bit hungry but not quite ready to eat yet. Too early."

 

   "Okay, well we have a kitchen on deck three, just let me know when you're hungry," he motioned to for me to go through the door. "For now, I was going to take you to deck four to spend some time with the guys."

 

   I headed through the door toward the elevator, socked feet patting lightly on the metal below me. I didn't think shoes would be necessary--being on this ship was just a very sci-fi version of being stuck at home. Plamus followed behind me, much in the same fashion Nihlus had. Two steps behind me to the right.

 

   The button of the elevator clicked quietly as I pushed the down button. I looked over my shoulder at Plamus, his bone colored plates over the light tan of the skin on his neck was quite pleasing to look at, as was the blue markings painted around his eyes.

 

   I wonder if its some sign of respect or something... I gave the green eyed Turian a smile and turned back around right as the doors opened. We piled into the elevator, and set course for the fourth floor.

  


* * *

  
  


    "You wanna try sparing, Human," my eyes narrowed slightly at the fact that no matter how many times I had tried to tell Marter that my name was 'Rebecca' that he still decided to call me 'Human'. At the same time however, I was excited I was asked to join in on what seemed to be a very important part of Turian culture.

 

    When we had arrived down on deck four, Faustis and Fadimia the engineers had been sparring with Desius and Voruns from the away team. It was fascinating to watch, the visual component was almost beautiful. It was like a very intense dance, the female favoring flexibility and reach over the power and speed minded males. The auditory component was the only thing slightly throwing me off. The roaring was equally as jarring from both male and female components, and added an element of ferocity that made me wonder if it was actual sparring.

 

   After the engineers had had their fun, it was left to the soldiers to continue on and "show me how it's done". They went harder on each other than they had on the engineers. More punches thrown, more dirty hits made amidst curses and laughter. It was fun to watch, I'd give them that. A couple of hours had passed of me just watching them before Marter even broached the question.

 

   "I don't know," I responded wringing my hands together nervously. "I'm squishy compared to you guys. I bruise." Marter laughed and clapped me on the back hard, causing me to lurch forward a bit.

 

   "Oh...sorry...guess you're right." He quickly withdrew his hand as Plamus shot him a death stare. He had told me that Nihlus' orders were to keep me 'in the same condition he left me in', and I guess Marter's show of camaraderie was a bit too forceful for Plamus' liking.

 

   "Well," I hopped off my spot on one of the supply crates and walked over to the sparring ring. If you go slow and like....halve the intensity you give the engineers, I think I'll be okay."

 

   "Are you sure," Plamus' multi-tonal voice rang with doubt and worry. Probably because he was worried I'd get damaged and then Nihlus would take it out of his ass. I didn't want Plamus to get into trouble, but if Nihlus didn't want me anywhere near danger, danger is where I wanted to be. I was still irked about how he had treated me this morning.

 

   "I'll be fine, whoever I fight just has to pull their punches and avoid my head, wound and all." Plamus' mandibles tightened to his face and I knew I had won.

 

   "Alright, let's get to this," Voruns, the tallest one clapped his hands together, and pushed himself away from the crate he was leaning on. "Lady's choice. Who's it going to be, Rebecca?"

  


   Who indeed? I started running through my options. Plamus would be the safest choice as he'd go easiest on me to avoid trouble with Nihlus. Voruns would be difficult because I barely came up to his mid chest, and his arms were freakishly long. Brutter, or Peeps as I had started calling him much to his dismay, was my second choice as he had the slowest reaction time, though he hit the hardest. Marter I just wanted to punch for calling me 'Human', but he was the best fighter, and Desius, the quietest one was all reflex, and I knew I probably wouldn't get a single hit in.

 

   After weighing my options for a moment I pointed at Brutter. "Come on, Peeps, you're up."

 

   "Stop calling me that," his voice betrayed his embarrassment at the nickname.

 

   "Not until Marter stops calling me 'Human'."

 

   "Not a chance," Marter laughed. Brutter groaned and rose, heading into the makeshift ring of supply crates and boxes, and stood opposite me.

 

   "Remember," I pointed at him, and then at my wound. "No hitting my head."

 

   "No hitting at all, preferably," Plamus offered from ringside. Brutter shook his head at him, and then locked his yellow eyes with me, nodding that he understood.

 

   "Game on," Marter called out and immediately Brutter's stance changed, his shoulders rolled forward, and his weight shifted to his toes, looking almost like a cat starting to arch it's back.

 

   I brought my fists up into boxing stance, my right fist guarding my face, and my left one out ready to strike. I had been in my fair share of fights back at home, and nine times out of ten I came out the victor. My only loss had been from fighting a kid two grades above me that had about a hundred pounds on me as well.

 

   Brutter cracked his neck, roared, and advanced, doing a straight up monster walk out of an eighties slasher flick. I nearly pissed myself but I managed to keep control of my bladder, and began shifting my weight from foot to foot, hoping that keeping my momentum going would make it easier to dodge him.

 

   The black plated Turian reached out at throat hight going for the immediate put down. I bent my knees, put my weight on my toes and leaned back as far as I could go, doing my best recreation of Neo in the Matrix. When I was nearly parallel with the floor I rolled my left shoulder forward, rotating my torso to the side and popped up on the other side of his arm. I took both my hands to the back of his shoulder and shoved with every ounce of my strength, hoping to move him along with his momentum.

 

   Brutter stumbled forward a couple of steps causing our audience to let out various exclamations of surprise. Brutter himself grumbled, turned and headed my way again this time keeping low and weaving from side to side.

 

   Still guarding my face, I hunched myself down and did my best to circle around to his side, but he wasn't having it. He knew I couldn't beat him standing, and my game was to get him on the floor. His dark mandibles flickered into a smile, he knew he had me, but I wasn't going to make it easy for him.

 

   The only thing I could think to do, was surprise him enough that I could get a hit in--just one. That's all I wanted and after that, fuck it.  We were still circling each other, getting further from the center of the circle, and I was at the point that I was nearly backed into the shipping boxes. So, I made my move:

  


   I screamed. A full on 'R Lee Ermey-Show-Me-Your-War-Face' battle cry, no inhibitions, no fear of looking stupid. My war cry echoed throughout the hanger, in an impressive show of the force behind it.

 

   Brutter paused at the unexpected display, and that was the only shot I needed. I lunged forward, left arm cocked back and and swung as hard as I could, making sure to keep my thumb tucked in as to try and not break anything. Though, even if I did, it would be worth it to be a legend.

 

   My fist connected with his right eye, boney knuckles making a dull thud against the hard plate there. However it was my follow-through that was truly impressive. His head snapped back, unprepared for the amount of force I had thrown into my punch.

 

   However I wasn't looking at what his hands were doing, and at the same time as I was leaning into the follow-through of my hit, Brutter's taloned hand was coming up and grabbing for my wrist. I was too far into my forward momentum to retract before he made contact and clamped down on my forearm. His arm pulled mine down and swung it behind my back, turning me from him in the process.

 

   Brutter continued forward and ended up pinning me against the storage box so that my chest pressed painfully against the edge. I felt a deep rumble emanating from Brutter's chest as he pressed me into the crate, and his hot breath in my ear as he spoke:

 

   "Nice shot."

 

   "Thanks," I fidgeted slightly against my captor. My arm was only slightly uncomfortable which would please Plamus, but the wooden edge of the crate felt like it was cutting my tits in half.  "Could you let me go, now? My boobs hurt."

 

   The dark plated Turian let go immediately at the mention of my pain and stepped back a couple paces. "Boobs?"

 

   I turned around and pointed to my chest, "boobs." Despite mixed company I rubbed my hands briefly over my breasts to make the soreness go away, and to get rid of the divot in my tank top from the edge of the crate.

 

    "What do they do?" Voruns tilted his head as he watched me.

 

    "Well," the pain had lessened considerably so I stopped and straightened out my shirt. "I guess the main use is for feeding our babies. The other is a sex thing. Men like to look at them, women like to have them touched. Only thing is, they're super sensitive, so pressure like the crate hurts."

 

    "You don't have some sort of armor for them?" Desius inquired.

 

   "Well, there's an undergarment called a 'bra' that women wear to make them look better, and does kind of help with things like pressure and knocking into things." My hands pressed into the wood of the box beside me. I pushed up and backward, bringing myself on a seated position ontop of the box.

 

   "Sounds like a weak spot," Voruns sounded mildly perturbed at the idea.

 

   "Shoulda gone for the boobs, Canion," Marter jabbed. Brutter laughed and shook his head.

 

   "Not my type, but thanks. That'd be like her going for my waist." The others nodded in agreement.

 

    _Wait what? Going for the....Oh. My. God._ My face flamed up with heat as I recalled my passing between Nihlus and the dresser, specifically my hand sliding across the soft fabric covering his waist. "So the waist is a thing for your species?" I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible as I tried to figure out how much I had fucked up.

 

   "Yeah, we have a couple uhh...spots," Plamus sounded a bit embarrassed.

 

   Voruns pointed to his waist, and then lifted a hand and pointed to the spikes coming off the back of his head. "Waist and fringe."

 

   "Oh God," I buried my face in my hands as the heat worsened. I could hear the others murmuring in confusion at my reaction. I had been here less than twenty-four hours and had already accidentally made sexual advances on the captain of the ship I was on.

 

   I drew my knees up to my chest, the bottom of my feet resting on the edge of the crate and rocked back and forth, wondering how badly I had fucked up, and all the while the Turians in the room watched with interest.

 

   Eventually after a few minutes of silently freaking out on my own, Plamus spoke:

 

   "What happened to make you...weird," the others rose up in a chorus of 'yeah's and 'what happened's.

 

    _Do I tell them that I hit on their CO?_ I squeezed my eyes shot as I thought of the pros and cons. Pros being that I would have an idea of how badly I had shot myself in the foot, and Cons being mercilessly made fun of. In the end I decided to throw caution to the wind.

 

   "I uhh, touched Nihlus' waist this morning," I muttered. They Turian men got real quiet and looked between each other, mandibles close to their faces. "I didn't know it was a...a uh...thing, and I was just trying to get by him without breaking the models on the dresser nearby. Then he started acting weird, and suddenly Plamus is there, and I..." I began to get teary eyed as I recounted the events of the morning. I liked Nihlus, he had been good to me ever since we had gotten here. He was caring, easy to talk to, and he was willing to give me a chance. "How bad did I fuck up?"

 

   "Not sure," Desius piped up after a beat. "There's uhh..a lot about Nihlus you don't know, and I'm not sure it's our place to tell you."

 

   "Why not, he told us," Voruns shot back. "Look at her, she's almost doing that crying thing again. I don't like the crying thing." Voruns side eyed me for a moment before looking to Plamus for help.

 

   Plamus locked his green eyes with Voruns' blue ones for a moment before sighing and lightly placing a hand to his face. "Fine." He pushed away from the box he was leaning on and strode over to me, standing just out of my arms reach, almost like he thought I was the 'Mad-Waist-Toucher' or something. "Look, Nihlus had a life mate. They were good together, but she was a different MOS, so they rarely saw each other. She died a few months ago when she was fighting Batarians. The waist thing...that's only for life mates, or someone you really want to get to know in the Spiritual sense if you know what I mean."

 

   Plamus had been fidgeting with his claws the entire time. The tension in the room was palpable as he told the story, and I noticed Marter and Brutter both checking the direction of the elevator to make sure no one walked in.

 

   Nihlus' story was heartbreaking. I couldn't imagine if I had lost someone I had only been dating. I felt horrible touching him in that manner, even on accident when he was still probably grieving for her. It must have brought up memories for him that were painful.

 

   "Shit," all the air left me as I sighed. "I feel like the world's worst person."

 

   "You didn't know, Desius offered, giving me a small smile.

 

   "Thanks, Desius," I dropped my legs back down so they dangled over the edge of the box and looked to my companions. "So what now?"

 

   "Now we eat," Voruns clapped his hands together, the sound echoing in the cavernous room.

 

   "Sweet," Marter headed off toward the elevator, while Plamus held out a taloned hand to me to help me get down. I took the offer, and hopped off the box. I was less hungry than I had been before I knew I had felt up Nihlus, but I knew I needed food.

 

   "Can I even eat what you eat," I wondered out loud to Plamus as we headed to the elevator.

 

   "Only one way to find out," he shrugged and we all piled in, headed for deck three.

  
  


 

 


	5. Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>    It was still dark when I woke up. I rolled to the side of the bed that held the clock and peered at the fluorescent blue numbers. Two am? Christ. I rolled back to the center of the bed and laid there like a starfish. Nihlus had decided on the couch again, and from the soft steady breathing I could hear--he was still asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I kinda lied unintentionally about the 'no chapter till the end of the week' thing. Can't stop writing. 
> 
> Also, Smut. <3

* * *

 

    It was late in the evening by the time I finally stopped living in the bathroom. Plamus' suggestion of having to try Turian food to find out if I could digest it had ended with a resounding 'no' and a stingingly painful behind.

 

   I had tried during a brief reprieve earlier in the day to go back up to Nihlus' cabin to try and sleep it off, but ended up not being able to get in since he wasn't around. The only other place with a bed and enough fluids easily accessible was the med bay. Dr. Albanis scolded me for not checking with her before ingesting dextro-based foods. She was right, and other than being caught up in being 'one of the guys' and just generally not thinking, I didn't have an excuse as to why I didn't.

 

   Dr. Albanis had headed off to bed already leaving me alone in the dimly lit room. I took up residence on the cot furthest from the door and was in the process of getting under the covers when the door 'whooshed' open, and several heavy footfalls were heard.

 

   “Are you alright?” It was a worried sounding Nihlus standing in the doorway, looking like he had just run from wherever he had been at.

 

   “Fine,” I mumbled. I really was, except for the sore ass and the general weakness from having exactly zero nutrition or food in me.

 

   Nihlus walked a few more paces into the room before stopping suddenly and bringing his mandibles in close to his face, like he just realized he was supposed to be mad at me. Instead of approaching further, he took a seat on the cot one over from mine and folded his arms across his chest.

 

   “You know it wasn’t smart to just go off and eat alien food without some guidance, don’t you?”

 

    _Ugh_. My hands balled into fists around the cot’s sheets as I bit my tongue from saying something I would regret, settling for shooting him the angriest glare I could manage.

 

   “What are you doing?” Nihlus’ head tilted as he tried to make sense of my expression.

 

    _Oh, guess I’ll have to spell it out for him._

 

   “Glaring. Its what Humans do when they’re being quietly angry at you.” I spat out and turned away from him. The more I sat with my anger the worse it got, and it had been building all day. I don’t know why but I had expected Nihlus to arrive much earlier to check on me and he hadn’t--which meant either no one had told him, which I didn’t think was the case as he was the goddamned captain of the ship, or he chose not to come down because he was still being weird about this morning.

 

   “Why are you angry at me?” More confusion.

 

   “Because you start acting weird this morning, didn’t say anything about why so I can apologize or fix my mistake. Then when I get sick, and I mean really sick, you don’t show up until hours later--still acting weird I might add.”

 

   “I’m not acting weird,” he snorted and re-folded his arms.

 

   “Usually it's a hand on the shoulder, or a had on the back, or standing behind me and to my right--but no, now it’s across the room closed off body language. You yesterday and you today are two completely different creatures.” I ran a hand through my hair on the unshaved side of my head and sighed heavily. “I know why--I just wish I had been told why what I did was wrong before it turned into a thing.”

 

   A heavy silence enveloped the room. The only sound was from the light creak of the cot as I gathered my legs into the lotus position, wincing as I did so. My legs hurt from all the sitting on the toilet today had entailed. There wasn’t even as much as a nose whistle from Nihlus’ direction, almost as if time had stopped outside the perimeter of my cot.

 

   I waited for something, anything from the brown and white Turian but got nothing. I was about to lay back down, putting an end to the conversation when he finally spoke:

  


    “Do you want to know why I reacted the way I did?”

 

    “I already know.”

 

    Nihlus sighed and there was a creak as his cot moved and then footsteps that made their way across the med bay and to my bedside. My cot groaned under his weight as he sat, and the heavy hand of the Turian found its way to my knee.

 

   "I haven't been touched like that since her. I know you didn't mean to, but it brought all of it back...I thought I was finally coming to terms with her death. Then...I don't know. I took out my confusion on the matter on you, and for that I apologize," sincerity and earnestness rang in his tone.

 

    _Of course you're not over her you can't even say her name_ , I sighed and turned back around to find his piercing green eyes studying me.

 

   "I know it's not the same, but I lost my mom four months ago," I put one of my own smaller hands on top of his. "I'm not done grieving either...but I hear it gets easier eventually."

 

   "I almost don't want it to," his voice was somber.

 

   "Me either," I looked down at our hands on my knee and felt a slight comfort in knowing that there was some semblance of happiness back in my day, even though that happiness was just a simple hand on the knee from a new friend.

 

   "Shall we get you to bed?" Nihlus asked after a while of us just sitting there, hand in hand. I nodded, and at that the contact broke--he stood and moved out of the way so I could slide my legs out from under the barely used sheet and onto the floor. We walked to the door side by side, when suddenly I began to feel a slight bit of guilt for sparring with Brutter earlier in the day. The urge to spill my guts was so intense that I began to feel nauseous again, and I'd had enough health issues for the day.

 

   "So, I sparred today," I said as nonchalantly as I could.

 

   "Oh did you now? And how'd that go?" The Turian sounded overtly non-plussed, but genuinely curious.

 

   "Weeeellll," I drawled as we headed out the door and to the elevator, Brutter did win, but I got a good hit in before he did. It was a very short fight." I frowned thinking about exactly how short it was versus my previously high expectations of myself.

 

   "I'll have to speak with Plamus," Nihlus spoke in a low tone to himself when we got to the elevator. His steady hand reached out for the up button, but I stopped him by stepping in front of the panel, arms folded under my chest.

 

   "You're not going to punish him are you?" I eyed Nihlus suspiciously. The last thing I wanted was for Plamus to get into trouble for something I did, that he honestly couldn't have stopped. I was going to spar one way or another, and there wasn't any way he could have persuaded me not to. In fact, the only way he could have stopped me would have been physically and that would have gone against Nihlus' safety rule. "I was safe--Brutter was gentle with me, the terms of my sparring were discussed ahead of time. Plamus wasn't happy about it, just so you know. I just...I wanted to be a part of the team."

 

   Nihlus sighed from beneath his white face paint. “He’s not in trouble...I just have to remind him what ‘be exceedingly careful with the squishy breakable Human’ means.”

  “Hey!” I pushed his shoulder gently in mock outrage at his choice of words. I didn’t like the verbiage, but I appreciated the sentiment, especially since he was right--I was rather squishy by Turian standards.  In turn, Nihlus smiled and motioned me out of the way so we could head up to the captain’s quarters.

 

   It was still dark when I woke up. I rolled to the side of the bed that held the clock and peered at the fluorescent blue numbers. _Two am? Christ_. I rolled back to the center of the bed and laid there like a starfish. Nihlus had decided on the couch again, and from the soft steady breathing I could hear--he was still asleep.

 

   Fuck that dream, I sighed quietly. It’d be just my luck that my second night out into the void and I would have one of the most intense sex dreams I’d ever had--which wouldn’t be hard to do because I almost never have sex dreams, especially at an opportune time, like when back on Earth surrounded by the opposite sex of my own species.

 

   Don’t get me wrong, it’d been a good dream while it was going on. It was weird that the dream involved Paul Rudd--but eh, there’s worse choices out there for getting it on. At least he’s funny. Now, though, I was just left with the overwhelming notion that I wouldn’t be getting any familiar action, unless it was by my own hand, probably for the rest of my life...however long that was.

 

   The worst part was, I woke up still horny from my dream, and it wasn’t going away. There was a low needy pull deep in my belly, and I could tell that I was slightly wet-that wasn’t going away either.  Goddammit. I laid there, eyes closed, arms and legs spread apart, trying not to move, and trying not to think about the throbbing pull I was feeling in my nether regions.

 

   Eventually I opened my eyes again and just stared at the ceiling. No way I was sleeping when I was this wound up. I glanced over at the clock and saw that only twenty minutes had passed.

 

   Now, I had two options as I saw it. One was to lie there, awake and horny until Nihlus got up, then go take a cold shower and miss out on a precious five hours of sleep, or I could be a masturbating ninja and just make sure I didn’t make a noise so I didn’t disturb my roommate.

 

   I had masturbated in a room with others before while I was at camp--but that would be a lot more nerve wracking than this would be. For one--if Nihlus woke up, he wouldn’t make fun of me, and for two, he wouldn’t tell anyone. So really, all I was risking was my own brief embarrassment.

 

   Decision made, I quietly tented my left leg to block my view of my roommate that was asleep on the couch, and slowly moved my hands to the hem of my tank top, lifting it so that my breasts were exposed. My nipples peaked as soon as the cool of the sheets touched them, and I nearly moaned just at that. Oh this is going to be interesting.

 

   My right hand stayed with my breasts while my left went lower, and slid it's way between my plaid pajama pants and the smooth skin of my lower abdomen. I was held up slightly by my white cotton underwear being a bit tight, but I didn’t know how light of a sleeper Nihlus was, and didn’t want to risk the bed groaning while I removed my lower articles of clothing.

 

   I leisurely slid my middle finger down my slit, and from the ease at which my finger moved, I was already primed and ready to go, and I knew if I worked my clit too much, I’d lose all sense of self-control and then I would be interrupted. I edged the heel of my hand so my palm rested on the curve of my mound, giving prime reach for my finger to delve deep within me. I gasped quietly as my walls instinctively contracted around my finger.

 

    _Oh this was a bad idea_ , my mind fumbled with how to best handle the growing need to be full, and the  obvious lack of ways on which to get there. Fingers were my only option, so I went with what I had and so on my next thrust a second finger was added to the mix. _There we go_ , my eyelids fluttered closed while I continued my slow controlled movements.

 

   While my left hand was working on my lower half, my right was toying idly with one of my peaked nipples. Gently twisting, pinching and flicking all at random. My back arched into my hand at a particularly hard flick, and I had to stifle a moan, and instead my right leg jerked off the bed as static pulsed through my body.

 

   My breathing was becoming ragged already, and became vaguely worried that I might not be able to be as quiet as I needed to be. My lithe fingers now wet and slippery from my insides, now went to work lightly teasing my folds with the gentle friction. My lower lips parted lightly from the tender touches exposing my clitoris slightly.

 

   It was like a siren call:   _touch it, touch it_. But I knew if I did, and went the “quick route” it would all be over too soon. Still I couldn’t help but run the pad of my index finger lightly over the bit of the exposed nub, summoning a small gasp.

 

   “Are you okay, Rebecca?” Nihlus’ groggy voice floated over from the couch. I ceased all movement immediately. The couch groaned, and I peeked around my sheet covered leg to see his dark shape sitting upright.

 

   “Yeah,” my voice was heady and rich with lust. “I’m good.”

 

   “You sure? You sound different,” he went on, sounding legitimately worried. “Why are you awake?”

 

   “Dream woke me up,” I answered trying to keep my responses as short as possible, hoping it would end the conversation sooner rather than later.

 

   “Bad dream?” He sounded like he was waking up instead of getting sleepier with every passing question.

 

   “Sex dream,” My tone was flat as I answered his question bluntly. I was going to be in a pissy state all day if I didn’t get to finish, and a cold shower wasn’t going to change that fact. Just to quell the ache that the lack of touch left behind, I gave in and began to rub my clit slowly. I bit my tongue preemptively to keep any noise at bay.

 

   “Oh. OH,” The dark figure that was Nihlus immediately stood, hands fidgeting from what I could see. “I thought something smelled familiar."

 

   "You can smell me?" I instantly began to worry if it was a good smell or a bad smell.

 

   "Oh yeah. It's what woke me up," his voice seemed deeper, more husky. That combined with the different tones to his voice, and he sounded as turned on as I felt. That idea alone, though mildly scary, was also a massive turn on. I briefly wondered what Turian sex was like. Was it like sparring was it teeth and claws and raw power.

 

    _Oh god, raw power,_ my libido jumped through the roof and I wondered if Turian food was bad for me if Turian dick would be as well. _Do they even have...oh fuck it._

 

   "Is it...good?" I purred.

 

   "Its...different from...yes it's good," came his slightly strangled reply. His tone was still deeper than normal, but there was a slight hint of sadness to it and I knew his thoughts had to have wandered back to his late life mate.

 

   She was his last, I frowned into the darkness, this has to be just as confusing for him as this morning was. I withdrew my hand from my lower half and sat, slightly shivering at the new sensation of cotton on my heated core. I rose into a seated position, being sure to tuck the sheet in under my arms to keep it up and reached over for the bedside light.

 

   It clicked on softly, casting a slightly yellowed glow on the living side of the quarters. Most importantly, it illuminated Nihlus, standing there, shirt off, the ridges of his plates catching the light slightly. His brilliant green eyes a mixture of lust  and sadness.

 

   "You okay," I patted the bed next to me, and he shook his head in the negative.

 

   "If I move...I don't know what I'll do," came his heated retort. I could see his talons were digging into the plates on his forearms in a bid to keep control.

 

   "Okay...but that doesn't answer my question."

 

   "I," he started before turning away from me and looking over at the far wall, "...this is confusing for me, Rebecca. Nepiria was...she was my last, and my only for a long time. There hasn't been anyone since and you...you smell so familiar like this, but..." Nihlus turned back to me eyes ablaze, "you're Human. I don't know what I'm feeling or why I'm feeling it."

 

   Again, my heart nearly broke for Nihlus. From the way he walked around normally, he was confident, self assured and knew what he wanted. But when it came to feeling, and wanting, he didn't know how to go about it because all of that still belonged to her.

 

    "You know what I think?" I tilted my head as we regarded each other from across the small space. He shrugged lightly. "I think, you're not letting yourself heal by not experiencing what's out there. If you don't do things, that you used to do with her, whatever it may be, then it still belongs to her in a way, y'know? I think you need to start doing those things, or you're going to be stuck for a long, long time."

 

   A wave of silence washed over the room as I gave time to let my words sink in. Either he would tell me to fuck off and mind my own business--in which case I would suck it up and go shower, or he would agree, and I'd try inviting him to bed again.

 

    The main ridge that split his chest glinted in the light as he breathed, taking in my last statement. The reddish brown of his plates, was beautiful in the dim lighting, and I couldn't help but to let my eyes slowly move around the unclothed part of his body while he thought. The shapes of his plates were all organic in nature. They fit on top and next to each other perfectly, leaving no room for weak spots, save for the tan flesh on his neck and the bit that surrounded his lower midsection. The way he was shaped screamed 'predator', lean lithe muscle covered in chitinous plating. It was foreign, it was new, but it was undeniably beautiful.

 

    "You're right," he breathed breaking the silence. "I don't...I don't want to be stuck anymore." He hung his head, a sad broken Turian on the verge of a breakdown.

 

   "Come here," I coaxed scooting over to my right, further from the light trying to give him some of his space back. The bed was big enough for the two of us to have ample room. If he just wanted to lay there and talk, though amped up as I might be, I would survive. Nihlus was the first friend I made in my new life and he needed me.

 

   The brown plated Turian hesitated briefly before walking slowly over to the empty side of the bed. He sat down, sinking into the pillow top-feeling mattress and rolled onto his back, reaching behind him to prop his head up on the mountain of pillows.

 

   Nihlus looked over at me mandibles tight to the face, in uncertainty.  I rolled over onto my side, taking the covers with me and offered him a small smile. "See, not so bad, is it?"

 

   "...No..." he agreed quietly, and very gradually his mandibles relaxed. "Thank you, Rebecca. You put words to something I've been trying to figure out for a long time." He reached out a taloned hand for me to take, which I did so gladly. Once my hand was in his he pulled me closer, my body sliding almost effortlessly against the smooth sheets until my body was right next to his.

 

    _Oh god_ , my breathing hitched in my throat at the sudden display of strength. When I breathed I could feel the soft skin of my body lightly touching the plates along his side, and my knee, if I dared to bend it was dangerously close to the soft skin of his waist.

 

   Gingerly I placed a hand on the main ridge of his chest, stroking the semi-rough plating with my thumb. A deep rumble rose from within him, and I saw his eyes close and mandibles flutter softly in response.

 

   "What is this, Rebecca?" He questioned softly.

 

   "No clue," My response was equally as quiet, as if speaking at normal volume would break whatever spell we were under. "All I know, is that you are my first friend here, the first one I am comfortable around and...and I want to help you feel better, however I can. You've been good to me," I rested my chin on his chest before I continued. "I want to return the favor."

 

   "I don't know how ready I am for...everything...can we even safely...?" He wondered out loud more so to himself than to me. I made an unsure noise and slid my glance over to his face. Nihlus was looking back at me with mild worry. "I don't want to put you in the infirmary...again."

 

   "Fair enough," I sighed against him, getting a low rumble of contentment in return. I saw my chances of getting any action slowly slipping away as logic settled in. If his food had that effect, what would his bodily fluids do? Maybe I was doomed to be celibate.  "I thought I smelled good, though," I asked in my last bid to not be a raging bitch all day.

 

   Nihlus chuckled, his talons digging lightly into the meat of my shoulder blade. "You do, you do...I've been controlling myself ever since I woke up. Turians are...primal. I thinks that why we're a militaristic society, to try and combat our truer natures. I think I'm different because I've always embraced that."

 

   "Then let go a little," my tone was husky and full of want. I lifted my chin and leaned in closer to his face, trying to spur him into some action, whatever it may be.

 

   "Do you know how Turians show affection to a mating partner?" He asked, lifting his head off of the pillow slightly. I shook my head 'no', holding my breath.

 

   Leisurely he leaned forward, his head tilted and for a moment I wondered if he was going to kiss me. Instead he gently pressed his forehead to mine, making a noise that I could only describe as a purr. It was intense and it vibrated through me, right down to my core, awakening the feeling of need.

 

   We laid like that for a while, my hand on his chest ridge, his forehead pressed to mine, just enjoying each other while my want grew. He withdrew slightly, and smiled at me, his green eyes burning into mine.

 

   "Do you want to know how Humans express affection?" I questioned, seduction dripping from every word.  He nodded his affirmation. "Then copy me," he nodded again so I dragged the nails of my hand that was massaging the ridge on his chest up his body to the side of his face as I leaned in, and pressed my lips to his.

 

   Nihlus stilled at the foreign contact, but didn't retreat, which in my mind was a good sign. I quickly found that the plates that made up his upper and lower jaw were hard and didn't have much give to them, so I gently nibbled on what he had for a lower lip, pulling a small groan from him. His plates had a slightly salty taste, like human skin did after a long day out in the sun.

 

   I continued to switch between planting small sensual kisses along his mouth, and nibbling on the edges of his mouth plates, gently lapping at the edges as I did so, trying to get him to relax a little. After a few more brazen strokes of my tongue, his lower jaw relaxed enough for my tongue to slip inside and find his. The saltier taste was stronger now, but not unbearable, and so I ventured to lightly stroke his thinner pointier tongue with my own causing the Turian male to rumble deeply.

 

   His tongue tentatively began to move against mine sending tingles through my mouth as he did so. I wasn't sure entirely if that was from arousal or from allergic reaction, but I wasn't about to stop when he was getting into it.  His tongue became more bold, stroking mine with relative intensity. The clawed hand he had on my shoulder was digging into my flesh as our tongues danced, causing little pinpricks of pain to shoot down my back.

 

   It was me that pulled away first, panting, mouth and lips numb. He looked at me, wonder in his eyes, breath slightly ragged, and released the grip he had on my shoulder. He leaned forward, closing the distance again, and pressed his forehead to mine once more, his contented humming thrumming through my own body.

 

   I traveled my hand back down his neck to rest on his chest, feeling the soft skin that covered it. I lightly danced my nails down the tanned skin bringing a throaty chuckle from my partner as his other hand guided mine back to his chest.

 

   "Who knew you were ticklish," my speech sounded off from the lack of sensation.

 

   "Its a closely guarded secret." He mumbled and broke the forehead contact. "Are you ticklish?"

 

   "In places," I withdrew my hand from his and pulled the sheet down exposing my chest to the Turian. "Mostly here, and here," I tweaked my soft pink nipples making them stand for him.

 

   Nihlus tilted his head as he watched the buds grow and harden that same look of awe in his eyes as there was after our Human kiss. he reached a hand over his chest and gingerly extended a talon flicking at the peak of my right breast. I mewled softly, balling my hand into a fist as I tried to keep the pace slow, and refrain from full out grabbing his waist.

 

   Taking the initiative, Nihlus ghosted the points of his talons down my side to my hip and pushed, so that I was now lying on my back, while he himself moved to be on his side. My breasts jiggled slightly at the motion for a moment before settling on my chest, two proud peaks high in the air.

 

    The Turian reversed his previous gesture, and ran his warm smooth palms up my side giving rise to a wave of goosebumps in the cold of the cabin. When he got to my chest, Nihlus took the talon on his thumb and lightly circled my nipple leaving a tiny red line of a scratch in its wake.

 

    I moaned low in my throat at the sensation the slight bit of pain brought, it hurt for only a split second before mellowing out into a wash of pleasure that rippled through me and into my core.

 

   "Please," I cried, "I need more, I need to cum." I looked into Nihlus' piercing eyes, my own ablaze with primal need. I had never cried from needing release before, but there always was a first time for everything.

 

   "I can't give you everything," Nihlus' whispered, pulling my side closer to his front. "But I will help get you where you need to be," his forehead pressed to mine in a silent promise.

 

   My slight disappointment that I wouldn't be getting the full experience was overshadowed by the tenderness in which we were connecting. He probably wasn't ready for everything, yet, though he had taken great steps. I couldn't begrudge him for that.

 

   My left hand travelled back down under my pajama pants, and below my underwear to my neglected pussy. I sighed in relief as my fingers made contact with my wet slit, my eyes closing in pure bliss as static sensations rolled through me.

 

   Nihlus' forehead left mine, but his talon continued to slowly circle my nipple as I touched myself, wetting my fingers to lessen the friction for when I finally went for my clit. I mewled softly into the dimly lit room, my legs shaking slightly from the different sensations rocking through my body.

 

   Out of nowhere I felt a new slightly rough sensation on my left nipple. I forced my eyes open and glanced down to find Nihlus quietly lapping at my niple, his long tongue winding its way around making arbitrary patterns on the sensitive nub. "Nihlus," I let out a breathy moan and arched my back, pressing my breast closer to him.

 

   The movement of my back, changed the position of my pelvis, causing my finger to bump against my clit. I groaned low in my throat, and received an appreciative rumble from Nihlus which in turn vibrated the nipple he was currently working on.

 

   My wet fingers worked deftly circling my clit circling it in varying speeds sending jolts of red hot passion through me. I wasn't lost enough in myself to realize that I was completely neglecting my partner, so I brought up a shaky hand to the spikes protruding from the back of the top of his head and began to massage them as best I could as waves of pleasure hit me.

 

   The rumbling grew as soon as the massage started, and his hand that was on my right breast spasmed a bit causing me to cry out a little due to the sudden pinpricks of pain. I felt Turian breath, hot and wet in the valley of my breasts as he let out a strained groan.

 

   I was nearing my peak. All of the tension and just the newness of this experience rattled around in my brain, mixing with my hormones causing a heightened sense of pleasure. My fingers circled my nub quickly, not bothering with pacing anymore, I felt like I was getting high off of the little jolts of ecstasy that my clit created and any span of time in between seemed like an eternity.

 

   My breasts, still being tended to by Nihlus, were beginning to feel raw from the roughness of his tongue. Every lick was an exercise in keeping still, save for my breasts heaving from the jaggedness of my breathing. I needed him to touch me, but my chest needed a break.

 

   "Will you just," I panted, "will you just lick it for a second?" Nihlus stopped and looked at me with questioning eyes. I looked pointedly at my crotch before coming back to him. "I just..."

 

   "Like my tongue that much?" Nihlus' inquiry dripped with seduction.

 

   My head bobbed up and down, nodding in the affirmative as I bit my lip, which was only just regaining feeling. "It's amazing--I just, I need to know how it feels down..." I trailed off as Nihlus became a flurry of movement, rising to his knees and moving below me to the end of the bed.

 

   Taking that as a yes, I retracted my left hand from its station at my clit and bent my knees so I could more easily remove my pajama pants. I raised my butt off the bed and pushed the elastic waistband of my plaid pajama pants down  to my feet and quickly stepped my feet out of them so I could move them to the side. Nihlus all the while was watching me with that predatory glint in his eye like he was waiting for the right time to make his move.

 

   As my pants came off I saw his chest heave as he inhaled, and heard his knuckles crack as he swayed a bit, from what I could see, doing his best to keep still.

 

   Gradually I spread my legs for the waiting Turian, showing him my center, and the tiny patch of short hair that I kept above it. "You like?"

 

   Without a word, Nihlus' hands wrapped themselves around my thin waist and pulled me down the bed closer to him. I let out a yelp of surprise, to which he just chuckled, and began hooking my legs over his shoulders. I felt a pang of need as he guided my legs so that the back of my knee was at his shoulders, and my thighs were where a Human male's pectoral would be. I was half off the bed at this point, my shoulders and head being the only point of contact on the mattress, and though it wasn't the most comfortable position, there wasn't anywhere else I'd rather be.

 

   I could feel the Turian's hot breath on my most private area, and it was driving me nuts. I bucked slightly against him hoping to spur him into action, the only immediate change was the level of grip he had on my waist.

 

   Finally after what seemed like an eternity, I saw his head dip, and finally felt the roughness of his tongue lapping at my slit.

 

   I screamed. The feeling was so intense that I completely lost any regard for volume control. My hands clutched desperately at the sheets, trying to find something to keep me tethered as he continued licking, never once seeming bothered by my reaction.

 

   Nihlus was diligent and thoughtful when it came to eating me out, he listened to and heeded direction whether it be by my unintelligible cries or by the few actual words I managed to grind out, and in some cases it seemed like he knew what I wanted before I could even say.

 

   The foreign feeling of a snakelike tongue on my pussy drove me to cum in record time. Within a few minutes of him starting every sound, even my own cut to white noise, and I came, my body spasming with every subsequent lick.  After a few more licks and the static dialed down, I finally regained the ability to speak:

  


   "Nihlus," my voice was weak, but still carried a hint of the breathiness from before.

  


   "Hmmm," he looked up, his eyes liquid and lustful.

 

   "Stop, please," I pleaded.

 

   With his gaze still trained on me he flicked out his tongue in one last hole-to-clit lick causing me to spasm again. "Oh fuck," I groaned. "No more."

 

   Nihlus chuckled and slowly peeled me off of him one leg at a time so he could set my lower half gently back up on the bed. I slowly inched myself with what little strength I had left back up to the pillows, the friction of my back and the mattress slightly pulling my tank top back down as I went. I finished that process and rolled over on my side, as Nihlus stood at the end of the bed, watching my weary movements.

 

   "You alright, Tiny Human?" My eye cracked open at the name, and I saw him standing there smiling at me--so I let it slide.

 

   "I'm more than alright," my voice was thick with sleep and contentment. "Come back to bed," I patted the mattress in front of me hoping I could make use of his body heat until it was time to get up.

 

   "I got something to take care of, actually" he sounded amused, and I knew instantly he was going to head off and take care of himself.

 

   "You sure you don't wan--" my question didn't even make it out before a yawn overtook me.

 

   Nihlus laughed and walked over to the side of the bed. I rolled half onto my back as he neared to give him full access to my forehead, which he took advantage of readily. I hummed into the Turian kiss until he retracted himself and headed for the bathroom by the door. "You couldn't handle me right now. Go to sleep, Rebecca." And with that he was gone--no more room for discussion.

 

   If I hadn't been so tired I would have headed over there, barged in and demanded to make him feel as good as he made me feel, but he was right and I just didn't have it in me.  

 

   I leisurely began to re-dress myself from my prone position as the cold of the cabin was beginning to get to my exposed skin, and I didn't have the heat of a Turian to balance it out. Once I was clothed again, I pulled the sheets back up and cocooned myself in them, this time a bit further to the far side of the bed to give Nihlus room to come back if he so wished.

 

    _Well that just happened_ , my mouth stretched into a goofy sex-fueled grin as my eyes began to close on their own accord. If this is what it would be like from now on, I could definitely do life as the only Human. Having a Turian lover wasn't as strange as one would think it to be. There were enough similarities that it wasn't overwhelming, but different enough to still seem dangerous and fun.

 

    _I hope he's okay_. My only worry for the situation that once the hormones died down that he wouldn't think that I had talked him into doing what we did for selfish reasons. I mean, yeah I was horny when I said it, but I truly believed that he had to experience things to heal.

 

   A low moan from the bathroom signaled that Nihlus at least for the moment wasn't thinking of much except his own release.

  
  
  


 


	6. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is where my fate is decided. I put a hand to my stomach and applied some pressure hoping it would stop the churning within. There wasn't any backing out--no more pit stops to stall the inevitable. I was here and this was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, folks. I finally got another chapter of this out. Its a bit longer than my others, but I wanted to make sure there was enough to tide you over until I update again.

* * *

 

    The jump into Citadel space took me by surprise. My stomach felt like I was doing a huge drop on a roller coaster, and it was hard to keep my balance...and I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Nihlus' death grip on my shoulder keeping me upright.

  
  


   It had been two days since Nihlus' and I's coupling, and not a solitary word was spoken about it--there were a few knowing looks from him every now and then but other than that, mum was the word. Especially for that first day as Nihlus had to go to the med bay due to an allergic reaction that Dr. Albanis couldn't quite figure out.

  
  


   I spent most of that day with the guys down in the hanger bay learning how to protect myself from untoward advances. Brutter, after seeing how easy it was to beat a Human became worried that I'd be shuttled off by slavers in no time, and had made it his personal mission to make sure I could hold my own.

  
  


   The third day was spent at the star map with Nihlus learning different tidbits about the other alien species' cultures so as not to piss off the council or anyone on the Citadel when we got there. It was fascinating seeing what the council races looked like on a big screen. There were Turians, which I could just look about ten feet and find someone doing something, Asari who looked like gorgeous blue tentacle haired women, and Salarains who to me resembled frogs. They had giant glassy eyes and the same type of straight mouth that I'd seen on many an Earth frog.

  
  


   Today, day four, I would finally meet those races and various others when we docked at the Citadel which from what had been described is a massive ship that holds the Galactic seats and houses an innumerable amount of aliens. This fact, though overwhelming, was also exciting. Even if I were to be sentenced to death I would be the first Human to see this place. That had to count for something, right?

  
  


   I was down in the hanger bay with the guys getting some last minute sparring in, when the tell tale 'woosh' of the elevator caused all the Turians to pause, leaving me to get a good hit in since I didn't have to stand to order whenever a possible leader walked into the room.

  
  


   Desius groaned and tried to keep upright after I cracked him in the plate just below his arm as Nihlus approached, smiling.

  
  


   "At ease. You know you don't have to do this. She's going to be under guard the entire time," Nihlus laughed as Desius' arm dropped and he looked at me, mandibles tight to the face for the cheap shot.

  
  


   "What if someone takes out the guards and she's left to fight on her own?" Brutter replied a slight tinge of annoyance to his melodic voice.

  
  


   "Not going to happen," Nihlus walked into the sparring ring and put a hand on Brutter's shoulder to calm his subordinate. "We've kept her arrival low key. Only the council C-Sec and a few others know about her. We've got C-Sec clearing a path to the Presidium as we speak."

  
  


   I watched as Brutter visibly relaxed somewhat and nodded his understanding to his Commanding Officer.  Nihlus then turned to me and motioned for me to follow him with one of his talons.

  
  


    "Time to go, we're almost there." He headed off to the elevator without another word.

  
  


    I nodded and waved a goodbye to the guys, and jogged after him, holding my boobs to my chest as I ran, not wanting to deal with jogging pains. The last thing I wanted was to be physically uncomfortable at my meeting with the Council.

  
  


   I stepped into the elevator hot on Nihlus' heels. "So what's the plan?"

  
  


   "First off you shower, your wound has been neglected far too much, and to be honest you stink," he pushed the button for the deck his cabin was on, and looked down to give me a smile. "I don't want the Council thinking Humans have a lack of concern for personal grooming. That's not a way to gain favor."

  
  


   I lifted an arm and sniffed self-counciously and was met with a waft of B.O. that could gag a maggot. Christ, he's right. I'd been so busy seeing new things and hanging out with the guys that I'd completely forgotten to take care of myself. My wound began to itch and i reached up and felt what had to be a giant pus scab formed over the cut, encrusted into what little hair I had left. Ugh.

  
  


   "Then what," I looked down at my worn and dirtied pajamas. "My clothes are still going to smell...also, my shirt's  a bit see-through."

  
  


   "Yes, and while I appreciate that, I've already come up with a solution while you were...training." Nihlus snickered and looked back to the doors just as they opened to the small hallway to his cabin. His long legs carried him to the door quicker than I could get there, so I was just able to walk in without pause.

  
  


   "What's that?" I queried as I headed for the small bathroom.

  
  


   "You'll see. We'll be docked by the time you're done." With that he walked back out of the room leaving me to my own devices.

  
  


   The cold of the bathroom was near bone chilling as I stripped off my dirty tank top and pajama pants. My underwear which hadn't been changed in three days reeked of sweat and sex as I rid myself of them, as did my flannel pants. _Great_ , I groused as I stepped into the shower portion of the room, _I'm going to meet the Council naked._

  
  


   After a few minutes of fiddling I managed to figure out Nihlus' shower, and after being doused in freezing water for two more minutes, I managed to change the temperature to scalding rather than arctic. The water pressure was amazing, I guess it had to do with the hardness of Turian plating.

  
  


   I looked to the shower's small shelf and found surprisingly a bottle of body wash. I popped the lid open and took a whiff. It smelled vaguely like men's body wash from back home, with just a hint of cinnamon in it.

  
  


   I squirted a generous dollop of the goo into my hand and began to rub myself down taking special care to get my armpits and between my legs, where the scent of BO and sex was strongest.

  
  


   The water beating down on my wound reminded me that it needed to be cleaned. The temperature was slightly melting the pus encasing that had grown, but I still needed to make sure that the cut got cleaned. Gently I pulled out a few of the remaining clumps from my hair, wincing at the sharp pull that came from doing so. My fingertips gently wandered the periphery of the cut to make sure everything had been cleared out. There were a few spots further away that had chunks of blood and pus in them but once that was cleared away I dropped my aching arm and sighed.

  
  


   The heat of the water was filling the small room with steam, and in turn, my lungs.  I quickly turned off the water and hoped that the air wasn't so water logged that I'd pass out before I got a towel and could dry off some.

  
  


   I reached for one of the towels hanging from the bar to my right hoping for fluff and softness. What I got was a military grade towel that was scratchy, yet efficient. Running the towel over my body, I my mind wandered back to what Nihlus had come up with concerning my clothing situation.

  
  


   The image of me trying to wear a Turian's tunic made me giggle slightly as I moved to work on drying my mass of hair. Hair that hadn't been combed in three days. No matter what it was going to be a rat's nest--but I at least had to try to look presentable.

  
  


   After wringing most of the moisture from my hair, I wrapped the itchy towel around me like a dress--thankfully being sized for Turians meant it was a rather large towel for me, and I didn't have to choose my tits or my ass to hang out.  I went to work on combing through my hair with my fingers doing my best to be quick while minimizing pain whenever possible.

  
  


    _Thud._

  
  


   There was a noise outside the bathroom, and I hoped Nihlus had come back so he could explain what was going on to me so I wouldn't be flying in the dark in nothing but a towel. I didn't usually care too much for surprises.

  
  


   There was rustling now coming from outside the room along with voices and curiosity was overcoming me. I quietly padded my way to the door and opened it partially to see Nihlus sitting at his desk typing something on his terminal, talking to someone in the other part of the room. Someone that I couldn't see thanks to all the model planes on the clear shelving unit that separated his desk from the couch.

  
  


   "Nihlus," I hissed in a high whisper. The Turian stopped typing and turned to look at me, mandibles fluttering. "Is it okay to come out."

  
  


   "Perfectly fine," came his low response. I opened the door the rest of the way and stepped out into the cold of the room. I shivered slightly, and craned my neck trying to see through the model barrier into the bedroom area. "You know you can just go over there, right? She's not going to bite you."

  
  


    _She?_

  
  


   "So what is this surprise exactly?" I questioned.

  
  


"Go see," Nihlus gestured emphatically to the other side of the room and it became clear that he wasn't going to say more than he already had. I frowned at Nihlus, pulling my towel closer around me and walked the few steps into the foyer of the room to get a look at what my surprise was.

  
  


   There standing at the foot of the bed bag in hand was a statuesque deep blue woman with short tentacles sweeping from the back of her head. The tentacles nestled around each other as the woman worked unloading garment after garment from a large bag.

  
  


   I immediately recognized her as an Asari from the vids that Nihlus had shown me the day before. From what little I was told due to the number of races I would be encountering, Asari were very much like Humans in the way that they were diverse despite having only one gender. They go through three major life stages, and are as adept at fighting as they are at science, math, and other brainy subjects.

  
  


   "Hello?" I called out into the small space. The Asari didn't even pause as she laid out another garment.

  
  


   "Good afternoon," her voice was light and airy, and full of pleasantries. She rose from her stooped position and turned giving me a thousand wat smile. "My name is Ceels Gaara."

  
  


   "Rebecca Shepard," I responded doing my best to keep my own tone as light as hers, despite my slight annoyance at Nihlus for keeping this from me. I would have been nice to know that I would be thrown into contact with another species ahead of time, instead of greeting one naked with just a towel on.  "Sorry for my nakedness, I wasn't told you were coming."

  
  


   Nihlus snickered from my right, and I shot him a glare.

  
  


   "Well to change into one of these outfits you're going to have to get naked anyway," she offered trying to quell my tension. "I was told the circumstances of your arrival, and wanted to offer my help in getting you situated to see the Council."

  
  


    _Fair enough_ , I let out a soft sigh and walked over to the bed to see what there was to wear, and from the little I could tell on my approach--a lot of high collars was my answer. However upon reaching the bed I noticed that though most outfits favored a high collar, the ones that did not had plunging necklines, or were completely open in the front to just below the bellybutton. _Hot damn, is this what all Asari wear?_

  
  


I thought about what my mother would say about these clothes, and a string of 'whores' and 'women of the night' soliloquies ran through my mind. My mother had preferred me in long sleeves, and high collars, but nothing akin to this.

  
  


Still, though it was far from Earth fashion I liked it. It was daring, dark, and was the kind of stuff you had to exude confidence to pull off. _I can do this_ , _I can do this..._ the mantra repeated in my mind as I set about picking out the least revealing outfit there was:

  
  


A semi-sheer body suit paired with rich black tight pants and a short jacket that barely--just barely left my nipples a mystery when I moved my arms.

  
  


It was odd disrobing in front a new person, let alone an alien. I could feel her studying me as I stooped to put my legs through the holes of the body suit, and even saw the smile as I re-arranged my breasts to look good in it.

  
  


"You're not wearing this kind of stuff," I noted nodding to the silky fabric of her high collar dress.

  
  


"I brought the most fashion forward articles I had in my store for you. Its not my job to impress anyone today, and I thought that maybe a little confidence boost would help. How do these compare with your clothing from home?"

  
  


"Uhhh, we don't really have anything like this at home...not off runways, at least," I offered her a small smile hoping she got the reference. She smiled back politely, and if she didn't understand, not a word was spoken about it.

  
  


I pulled on the skin tight pants and was happy to find that they were made of a stretchy material that came up to just above my hips. To be fair I had worn shorts with a lower rise, but the rise of the pants in comparison to the cut of the leg holes of the body suit left me a bit uncomfortable. There was at least two inches of bare skin showing on either side as the body suit cut up just between my hipbones and ended almost to my waist.

  
  


_At least my pubes are covered._

  
  


The most comforting part of the outfit was the jacket. It left me feeling less bare and out there, and was made of a leather like material. _Do they have cows in space? Hmmm..._

  
  


As soon as the last piece was donned, and my hair was rescued from beneath my bodysuit and tossed over my shoulder, I looked to Ceels and gave her a nervous smile.

  
  


"How do I look?" My hands wrung with insecurity.

  
  


Ceels gave me a wide smile and clapped her hands together like an excited school girl. "You look wonderful," she exclaimed. "Nihlus--come take a look at my work."

  
  


_Oh shit_ , I had totally forgotten Nihlus had been just a thin sheet of plastic and a few feet away while I had gotten dressed. I turned, cheeks pink toward where his desk was waiting for his verdict.

  
  


There was the sound of a chair rolling back and then his head poked out from behind the divider, at a level where I could tell he was still sitting. I looked off at the model he was still putting together over at the coffee table, not wanting to watch him look me over--not liking the lack of any 'hmmm's or 'ohhhh's.

  
  


"Nihlus, you're staring," Ceels' sharp voice cut in after a moment.

  
  


"Oh, sorry. You look great, Rebecca." The chair rolled again, and by the time I looked back, he had disappeared behind the dividing wall again.

  
  


"Try moving in it while I grab your shoes," Ceels offered and went over to another bag by the side of the bed and began pulling out several pairs of what looked to be low black boots.

  
  


I took a couple steps and noticed a slight rubbing where my hipbones hit the bodysuit, but other than that everything else was like a second skin, and was actually more comfortable than the pajamas I had been lounging in for three days. _No underwear needed_.

  
  


"I'm going to go take a look," I spoke to my new acquaintance over my shoulder and skipped off back toward the bathroom. I hopped up the step into the foyer area and turned to find Nihlus smiling at me from his desk.

  
  


"What?" I tilted my head confused as to why he would be smiling.

  
  


"It suits you," came his quiet response.

  
  


My face heated up at the compliment. "Oh, shut up," I reached out and lightly pushed his shoulder causing the chair to spin a bit.

  
  


"Haha, fine," he chuckled and turned back to his computer. "Go preen, then."

  
  


"I don't preen....I'm not a bird," The corner of my mouth twitched down into a soft frown as I stepped past him and back into the bathroom.

  
  


As soon as i wiped the steam from the mirror I finally saw it, the womanly curves I always strove for were highlighted by the vertical stripes of the body suit, and the seams of the pants. My boobs looked like they were defying gravity all on their own, and the jacket made my arms look long and slender.

  
  


_Fuck yeah, girl_. I ran a hand through my hair trying to remove more of the tangles, though I guess they only added to the 'bad-ass-rocker' vibe this outfit gave me. The only thing I was missing was makeup, and then my transformation would be complete.

  
  


"Hey, Ceels," I called out as I headed back her direction. "Do you guys have makeup out here?"

  
  


She giggled at my question and thrust a particular pair of low cut boots at me. "Of course we have makeup."

  
  


"Do you have any on you? I'm feeling naked without eyeliner."

  
  


"So _that's_ making you feel naked?" Nihlus' incredulous voice floated over from the desk followed by a muttered 'preening'.

  
  


"Let me check. Put your shoes on," Ceels ordered softly and went through a third smaller bag that I assumed was her purse.

  
  


The shoes were a bit big on me, but seeing as how no one knew my size, it wasn't that big of a deal--they were still workable. As soon as I was finished strapping the boots on, I looked up to see a compact mirror and a black kohl liner extended out to me.

  
  


"Thanks, Ceels," I grinned and took the objects from her excited to be able to do something so familiar in an increasingly unfamiliar situation.

  
  


"Not a problem," her sing-song voice floated to me from back over by the bed as she began packing up the rejected clothing items and unpicked shoes.

  
  


I set to work uncapping the liner and filling in my waterline. The kohl glided on smoothly with no tugging, and was blacker than night out in the South Dakota forests. The rest of my eye went just as easy, though I did get a bit carried away and made the top liner a bit thicker than I wanted. I settled for smudging the top and bottom liner out with the sponge on the end of the kohl giving my eyes a blown out haze to match my messy hair. The only thing that would have made the look perfect would have been mascara over my blonde lashes.

  
  


When I was done I stood and handed the items back to Ceels who had just finished re-packing the wardrobe she had brought. She took the mirror and eyeliner back, giving me one last once over before announcing to Nihlus:

  
  


"She's ready!"

  
  


Nihlus stepped out from behind the partition, having changed in my absence from the bathroom into his shiny red and black armor. His white markings contrasted beautifully with the darkness of his plates and armor, making him look rather striking in the artificial light of the cabin.

  
  


"Good, because if we don't get going now, we're not going to be able to feed you before your meeting with the Council." He motioned to the door in a wide sweeping gesture for us to pass him.

  
  


"Well if I'm going to be buried today, might as well be full," I shrugged and went to pass Nihlus who stopped me with a heavy hand on my shoulder:

  
  


"I honestly don't see them putting you to death, Rebecca. Try to keep your spirits up."

  
  


His eyes were liquid green, and full of truth and promise. I did my best to give him a sure smile, but all I could manage was a small twitch of my lips.

  
  


Even if I didn't die today--wouldn't keeping me away from Earth be just as much as a death sentence. Sure I would be walking, talking, maybe even working--but I would be alone surrounded by alien species on an artificial construct floating in space who knows how far from my home.

  
  


"Let's just get this over with," I mumbled, shrugged his hand off my shoulder and headed out into the hall to wait for him to trigger the elevator.

  
  


I trembled as we stood in the decontamination chamber waiting for the cycle to be finished so we could step out onto the docks of the Citadel and meet my new security detail.

  
  


Nihlus stood there quietly to my right, with Ceels to my left who was chattering away about not needing to worry about remaining clothed--she had me covered. Nihlus however was typing on some holographic interface that I could barely make out that was protruding from his left forearm. I couldn't even hear the click of keys--or talons on metal, it's like he was typing on thin air.

  
  


"What's that?"

  
  


"Omni-tool," he responded distractedly.

  
  


"Oh...and what's that?" I tilted my head to the side trying to see what he was doing. He cast me a slight glare and turned his torso to keep what he was typing out of my field of view.

  
  


"Its a weapon, a communicator, access to the extra net all in one...among other things," Ceels offered. I turned to face her, smiling appreciatively.

  
  


"Can I get one?"

  
  


"Lets get through this meeting first," Nihlus answered sounding much less distracted now.

  
  


_Decontamination Complete_.

  
  


My heart jumped to my throat as the outside doors began to open, and loud chatter and the sound of engines could immediately be heard from beyond them.

  
  


"I can't do this," I my voice took on an edge of panic.

  
  


"You _can_ do this," Ceels put an arm around my shoulders, squeezing so tight I thought she was trying to push the anxiety from my body. "They're not as scary as everyone makes them out to be."

  
  


_You're not possibly walking to your doom._ I shuddered and leaned into her embrace. I just wanted to go back on the ship into the hold and spar with the guys. Talking about the Council, the Citadel and the other races was fine--actually dealing with it? _Color me 'whelmed'._

  
  


The doors finished opening and the chatter that I had heard ceased completely. At the end of the small catwalk connecting the ship to the Citadel was a group of four. From the small amount of species recognition Nihlus had put me through, there was a Quarian--obviously female, a Turian male, and two Krogan males.

  
  


"Follow me," Nihlus gave me a brief smile before he was back to business, walking down the catwalk, his head held high. Arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture toward the group on the platform.

  
  


Ceels let go of my shoulders and busied herself with gathering her litany of things from the floor. I tried to reach down and grab one, but she just waved my hand off.

  
  


With nothing left to keep me in familiar territory, I took a deep breath and headed off down the catwalk doing my best to keep my focus ahead of me and not look over the side of the railing. I didn't know how far from the bottom I was, or if there was a bottom.

  
  


As I neared I could hear Nihlus talking to the two Krogan one of which was nodding gravely to whatever Nihlus had said, the other was watching me move in a very predatory manner.

  
  


I knew from my short study session with Nihlus that Krogan were all about who was toughest, and brute strength. I probably looked like a piece of wet tissue paper to him.

  
  


He looked slightly lizard-ish with a low flat plate covering the top of his head that was a brilliant shade of jade. The rest of his skin I could see was a sand like color and seemed to be textured in the fashion of scales. His armor was a tan similar to the color of his skin, and a muted mustard yellow, just like the other Krogan's.

  
  


The Turian and the Quarian, both in blue were standing near each other, a short distance away from the Krogans, and I thought back to when Nihlus said that the Krogans had rebelled at one point in the not too distant past. It was hard for me to see anyone winning against those walls of solid meat and muscle, just from looking at these two.

  
  


"--'s a little nervous about being here, so don't give her too hard a time," Nihlus' tone was heavy with warning as he spoke to the Krogan with deep brown plates.

  
  


"Yeah yeah, I got you. She's a special snowflake that needs to be protected at all costs," came the Krogan's gravelly retort.

  
  


I snorted as I approached, folding my arms under my chest and stepped up next to Nihlus.

  
  


"My name is Rebecca," I glared up at the Krogan feeling bolstered by close proximity to a familiar person. "I may be the only Human here--and that may make me special, but I am under no certain terms, a 'snowflake'."

  
  


"Oh, she speaks," the other one laughed and punched his friend in the arm, the loud clang of armor echoing around the dock. "I don't think you're making friends, Diash."

  
  


"Not here to make a friend," Diash responded gruffly. "I'm here to repay an old debt."

  
  


"That is why you're just here to hold a gun," the female Quarian spoke sharply, her accent sounding distinctly Eastern European. "The Human is Velter and I's responsibility."

  
  


"Good," Diash looked around the green plated Krogan at the female Quarian and Velter. "She smells like a Turian anyway...it's making my nose itch."

  
  


"Oh fu--" Nihlus put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, his talons poking into the fabric of my jacket--a silent warning to quit talking.

  
  


"Diash, quit talking out your ass and do your job." Nihlus warned.

  
  


"Yeah, Diash," the other one piped in.

  
  


Velter the blue armored Turian seemed very amused by the exchange happening, as his mandibles were fluttering into a wide Turian grin.

  
  


"Shut up, Kal," Diash groused as he walked off to go look out of the edge of the platform into the expanse beyond. I followed his gaze for a moment and watched as several ships flew by--the closer ones seeming massive, and the ones further away looking like the models on Nihlus' desk.

  
  


"Rebecca, let me introduce you to the rest of your guard. They're going to get you to the Presidium after a bite to eat."

  
  


"What about you?" I frowned at the thought of being left alone with four perfect strangers--at least one of which was just here to repay a debt.

  
  


"I need to go ahead and have a quick talk with Councilor Sparatus before your arrival. That and I don't want to send you to the meeting when you haven't eaten since Earth." He squeezed my shoulder again before withdrawing his hand and gesturing to the green plated Krogan.

  
  


"This, as you may have heard is Kal Rurake. Him and Diash owe me a favor from a few years back. They're not C-Sec, but they're the best in the business otherwise." Kal nodded his thanks for the compliment while Diash grunted from the edge of the platform.

  
  


"Over here," Nihlus continued, "is Yeli'Semor vas Zirgo and her C-Sec partner, Velter Gorscus. They were sent by Chief Bailey to oversee your safe arrival to the Council."

  
  


"Pleasure to meet you," the Quarian held out a three fingered hand. Her mask obscured her face but I could see the faint glow of her eyes from behind the dark glass.

  
  


"Thank you for escorting me," I replied taking her gloved hand.

  
  


Nihlus had told me that Quarians wore suits because their immune systems were extremely weak, and that any sort of cut or damage to it could result in a major illness for the Quarian inside.

  
  


Velter was nearly as tall as Nihlus and equally as intimidating. He could have been a statue as he stood there regarding me with amber eyes. I looked up at him, a small smile of thanks on my lips. He responded in kind and began to speak quickly:

  
  


"A Human? I never thought I'd see the day. It really is a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca. I promise we'll get you there safe."

  
  


"Oh quit gushing," Kal grunted from his position a few steps away.

  
  


"We're making history, Kal," Velter looked to the green plated Krogan with disbelief. "Aren't you excited to be a part of this?"

  
  


"I'm excited for my credits when this is over," Kal responded.

  
  


I watched the two opposing views on my arrival and while I was glad that Velter at the least felt some sort of duty, I could understand that by Krogan standards, I was tiny and insignificant.

  
  


"Now, I must be going," Nihlus' hand was swiftly removed from my shoulder as he turned to where Diash still stood. "Get over here, Diash, time to get ready."

  
  


Without a word the Krogan reached behind him to one of the many futuristic looking guns on his back. I heard the sound of something metallic clicking and then the gun was free and being swung over his head and into his waiting hand. He strode back over, knocking Kal on the shoulder pauldron with his own.

  
  


"You ready for this," Kal's own pack-a-day voice was equally as grating as Diash's.

  
  


"Born ready, heh heh heh," the brown plated Krogan chuckled.

  
  


I rolled my eyes at the two of them before looking over to see Nihlus already strolling away with purpose towards...a flying car?

  
  


"Woah," my eyes widened at the sight of what was definitely a wheel-less flying car at the end of the platform waiting for my friend.

  
  


"Come on," Velter spoke up, his own large gun out and ready to be pointed at someone who got too close. "Let's get some food in you."

  
  


The Citadel was amazing. It was so large and open--well at least the parts I saw of it, anyway. They had taken me to an area called the Presidium which had a giant lake down the middle of the two sides.

  
  


I had gotten to ride in one of the flying cars to get there--which was fun if not slightly nauseating. I rode in the back between Yeli and Kal. Velter drove, and Diash insisted on sitting in the front.

  
  


Once we got to the Presidium, it was all over. I was in love. The air was crisp and cold, the trees dotted throughout the landscape were lush and green, with huge leaves that I hadn't seen before, and the water in the central lake was a crystal blue, which contrasted nicely with the white material that the paths were made out of.

  
  


As we walked from the transit station toward the cafe that Yeli insisted sold food that wouldn't make me sick, I got to people watch. I wanted to see similarity in the alien's interactions so I didn't feel so out of place.

  
  


The other species were dotted around as we walked. Some were conversing in small groups, others were alone, either reading or just enjoying the view. It put me at ease to see Humanity where I thought I wouldn't.

  
  


Occasionally as we would pass a species that Nihlus hadn't brought up, I would quietly ask Yeli what they were. So far I had spotted a Hanar, a Volus, and an Elcor in addition to the litany of Turians and Asari.

  
  


More importantly, however, people were beginning to notice me. I think it was the guns that Diash was shoving in people's faces if they got more than fifteen feet close to me, but more and more, the different races were looking past the wall of Krogan and Turian straight at me.

  
  


Some would do a double take, others would stop, nudge their conversation partners and whisper, and one interested Hanar had tried to approach, its melodic voice asking:

  
  


"This one thinks you are Human," before getting asked very firmly by Velter to step back.

  
  


It had only been a fifteen minute walk to the cafe and by that time we had amassed somewhat of a following of interested aliens all trying to get a look at me.

  
  


The entire way there, Yeli had to keep reminding Diash and Kal just under what circumstances force was _allowed_ to be used, and no one had been stupid enough to cross that line...yet. But I could tell the Krogan were getting jumpy.

  
  


The best part of our outing, however, was the cafe. It was a little open air affair right over the lake that had maybe ten tables. There was one or two patrons there but for the most part the place was empty.

  
  


I made a beeline for the counter and the Drell standing behind it, and from the open shirt and sculpted pectoral muscles I assumed it was a male. The Drell was a beautiful combination of teal, green, yellow and black, alongside deep purple swaths along the side of it's face that reminded me of gills.

  
  


As I approached it was interesting to see the evolution of reaction from the Drell. Its dark glassy eyes widened with recognition at the same time as its jaw dropped slightly. Then, after the briefest of moments--back to it's impassive mask.

  
  


"Hello," I smiled as I neared with Yeli to my left and Kal to my right.

  
  


"A Human?" The Drell's voice was most definitely masculine, and had an interesting timbre to it.

  
  


"Yes, I'm Human," I reached out a hand for the Drell to shake. It looked at my hand with its large black eyes before it reached out in turn. "What's your name?"

  
  


_"_ Hokot Dreak," he responded. His grip was firm and warm.

  
  


"I'm Rebecca Shepard," came my easy reply to the first of what I assumed would be a mass of introductions over the next twenty four hours. "And I would love to try your food."

  
  


"Heh," the Drell chuckled, releasing my hand. He brought up his omni-tool, fingers poised over the transparent keys to take my order. "What'll it be?"

  
  


"You see, that's my problem," I sighed, "I can't eat what Turians eat, so I'm not quite sure what my options are, or what you have."

  
  


"Oh, you're levo, then," the Drell nodded to himself. "Well that narrows it down. Vegetarian?"

  
  


"Oh no," A few strands of hair covered my face as my head shook. I reached up and tucked them back behind my ear. "I eat meat."

  
  


"Well then," Hokot typed out my order with the skill and ease of a seasoned waiter. "I have an idea of what you might like. Its a mixture of Asari and Krogan--one of our more popular dishes. It'll be ready, soon, Rebecca."

  
  


"Thanks, Hokot," I smiled widely back at the Drell before turning and heading over to a table far from the other patrons at the cafe. As interesting as it was meeting new species, I didn't want to thrust that encounter on those that weren't ready for it, especially since the Asari six tables over was glancing over her shoulder at me with an air of distrust.

  
  


Yeli took a seat next to me, while Kal traded spots with Velter near the perimeter of the patio. Yeli, other than answering questions hadn't said much on the way here. Velter on the other hand, had spent the entire time practically giggling at Kal and Diash's banter.

  
  


"So why C-Sec, Yeli," I tilted my head as I looked over the geometric pattern hidden in the blue of her suit.

  
  


"I came here as a stop on my pilgrimage and I saw how terrible things could get in the Wards," her beautifully thick accent flowed around me as she spoke. "Our pilgrimage is supposed to teach us to be valuable to another ship's crew. I thought why not go for the biggest station's biggest crew? I can do more good here than I could on some frigate."

  
  


"Oh, so all Quarians do this pilgrimage?"

  
  


"Yes," she nodded quickly, "we aren't to return until we can bring something of value back to the fleet. Some never come back and just stay with their new crews."

  
  


"Have you decided what you're going to do, yet?"

  
  


"No, I've only been here a couple of years, I have time to figure out what I'm going to do," she placed a hand on mine and leaned in as if to share a secret:  "between you and me, I don't think Velter would survive without me."

  
  


Upon hearing his name, Velter made a noise of confusion causing Yeli and I to break into a small fit of laughter.

  
  


* * *

  
My food was ready surprisingly quick. Hokot brought it to me on a shiny white plate, and then disappeared back behind the counter. Thankfully the fork had been invented by one of the species here, so I didn't have too much trouble eating what looked to be purple spinach and a hunk of incredibly tender beef-like meat.

  
  


It was good, but then again with this being my first taste of space food that actually looked like food, I didn't have anything to compare it to. All that mattered was that it sated the dying whale that had taken up residence in my stomach.

  
  


"You ready to go," Yeli inquired as I took my last bite of purple spinach. "We still have a bit of a walk to the next transit station."

  
  


Nodding quickly, I swallowed my last mouthful and quickly gathered my utensils and plate, and brought them back to Hokot who seemed slightly confused by my actions, but grateful none the less.

  
  


I returned to my guard who were groaning over something outside the perimeter of the cafe.

  
  


"Of course she's here. This has to be the biggest story she'll have for years," Velter snorted in Kal and Diash's direction. Diash waved his comment away with a meaty hand.

  
  


"Sure I can't shoot her?"

  
  


"No, Diash," Yeli's hand went to the front of her mask like she would have been pinching the bridge of her nose, had there not been something in the way.

  
  


"Maybe we should..." Velter pondered eliciting a smack on the arm from Yeli.

  
  


"What's going on?" I looked between the four of them, slight worry rising in my now full stomach.

  
  


"Reporter," Diash ground out.

  
  


"Pekoln Rassi," Kal rolled his large eyes in his skull. "Scummiest reporter on the Citadel. She only gets the good stories because she crosses lines."

  
  


"Bosh'tet," Yeli grumbled.

  
  


"Which one is she," I craned my neck around Diash to check the crowd. There was a mix of various races in there, all peeking and poking their heads around one another to catch a glimpse of me. Diash grunted and used the side of his gun to push me back into and upright position effectively blocking me from everyone's view. 

  
  


"The Salarian in front." Velter answered my question before turning to the others, "Doesn't matter. We gotta get Rebecca out of here, and the only way out is past her."

  
  


"I got this," Diash cracked his neck, turned and headed over toward the crowd. His gun was pointed off at an angle to the floor, but still wasn't far of from being pointed at someone.  
  
  


  
  


Kal followed close behind mirroring his friend's stance.

  
  


Diash walked up to the barrier separating the cafe's patio from the sidewalk and addressed the crowd: "You're leaving. Now." His gun twitched as his arms flexed. Some in the crowd at the sight of a peeved Krogan took off right then and there, but a few did stay, citing having a right to know why there was a Human on the Citadel--and was this the start of an uplift.

  
  


The most vocal was a Salarian standing directly in front of Diash, who I assumed was a reporter by the way she seemed to ignore the directive and just continued to type away on her omni-tool.

  
  


"Now, Pekoln, we don't have time for your shit today," Kal walked up next to the other Krogan, blocking the Salarian from view.

  
  


"So you're not taking the Human to Council to discuss possible uplift?" Pekoln's staccato voice rose up and over the mass of Krogan to my ears.

  
  


"None of your business," Diash countered, "now go."

  
  


"Public space," Pekoln purred, "allowed to be here." The few others in the crowd that were left rose up in a chorus of 'yeah' 'public space'.

  
  


After letting the din go on for a moment, Diash spurred into action, raising his gun up to the sky and firing once. A loud boom echoed through the quiet of the Presidium, causing me to jump and cover my ears from the noise.

  
  


The rest of the group of gawkers scattered at that point, running further down the path around the cafe patio, or back up to the main walkway. The only one who didn't run was Pekolin who simply meandered a distance away to watch.

  
  


"Let's go," Yeli sighed placing a three fingered hand on my shoulder guiding me in the direction of Kal and Diash.

  
  


"You better hope that discharge doesn't hit anyone," Velter warned as we passed them falling back into our formation.

  
  


"Yeah, yeah," the brown plated Krogan shrugged.

  
  


"Hey, Diash," I turned my head to look over my shoulder as we headed up the small ramp to the main thoroughfare. "Thanks." He simply grunted and nodded his acknowledgment before going back to scanning the area.

  
  


The rest of the walk was easy, just more of the same residents of the Citadel catching wind of my presence and gawking as we passed.

  
  


We made it to the transit station and piled into another rental car that I was told would take us right outside the Council chambers.

  
  


I wasn't sure what I was expecting their chambers to look like but it certainty wasn't what I was met with when I stepped out of the car fifteen minutes later.

  
  


The artificial sky had been dimmed to a near twilight, and the trees in the landscaping had tiny leaves of gold. There were white steps curving around circular planters that got narrower as you ascended. The white of the flooring extended to the curved walls, accented by dark pillars giving the whole space a slightly spooky vibe. Gorgeous, but spooky.

  
  


I saw Nihlus standing at the center level of the staircase, talking with another Turian in blue and black armor similar to Velter's. I smiled as I saw him speaking animatedly with the other Turian, his facade of the stoic leader completely forgotten.

  
  


"Ahh, he found Garrus," Velter's voice carried a tinge of excitement.

  
  


"Garrus?" I looked up to the black plated Turian questioningly. I wasn't sure who I should be extra gracious to, and I was hoping that Velter would give me some sort of guidance.

  
  


"Yeah," Velter nodded Yeli and I forward before taking up his position similar to Nihlus'--back and to my right. "He's my cousin."

  
  


"Cool, he work for C-Sec, too?"

  
  


"Just started a while ago, recently got out of the military. Glad to have him back, finally. It's been a long time." I could hear something akin to relief in his tone, and I wondered exactly what the Turian military did other than spy on Earth.

  
  


As we ascended the staircase, Nihlus took notice of us and motioned for me to move forward. I moved past Yeli and headed over to him smiling widely.

  
  


"Did you have a good lunch?" Nihlus looked me over as if he was trying to make sure I wasn't broken.

  
  


"I felt like I was in an aquarium the entire time, but yeah, I did." I put a hand on my stomach self consciously hoping the food hadn't bloated me while I was wearing such a revealing outfit.

  
  


"Garrus Vakarian, this is Rebecca Shepard," Nihlus motioned to the equally as tall Turian next to him. Garrus was a sight to see. His plates were a silver color, and almost had a slight metallic sheen to them. His face markings were the same deep royal blue as Velter, which I guessed was a way to show which family you were from.

  
  


Garrus regarded me quietly though icy eyes--eyes that had the stare that my mother had when she returned home from a hard deployment. The one where you were tired, but too anxious to do anything about it. The one where you had seen some shit you shouldn't have.

  
  


"Hi, Garrus," I greeted as I extended a hand for him to take. He accepted, his talons wrapping around the back of my hand. His shake was strong and tight, yet restrained and as soon as it started it had ended, and his hand went behind his back.

  
  


"Pleasure," was his only response. His voice was deep--deeper than Nihlus' and it vibrated through me with an intensity that should have meant we were touching. 

  
  


_"_ Garrus, if all goes well, is going to be assigned to your permanent detail," Nihlus explained. "He's done great work for C-Sec since he started--a rising star. Captain Bailey chose him personally for the assignment, and I signed off on it. You'll be in capable hands."

  
  


"What about Velter, and Yeli?" I looked over my shoulder to the Quarian and Turian in turn. I had become rather fond of the two of them over the course of lunch and was a little sad I wouldn't get to spend more time with them.

  
  


"Going back to their beat after today," I frowned slightly.

  
  


"No worries, Rebecca. I'll be seeing you around," Velter smiled.

  
  


"Which means I will be too, since I'm never far behind," Yeli interjected.

  
  


"Ahh, I see, no love for the Krogan," Kal shot out from the back of the small group that had formed around me.

  
  


"You know I'll miss you, Kal. Maybe Diash since he's so pretty," I joked. Diash grumbled something under his breath and waved my comment off while Kal punched his shoulder with a throaty chuckle.

  
  


"Glad everyone got along," Nihlus looked between the Krogan and I before stepping back and motioning for me to continue moving. "Its time for our meeting. Thank you all for your help in getting her here safe."

  
  


Stepping forward I made my way up the last flight of stairs with Nihlus and Garrus in tow, my stomach doing flips as we went.

  
  


_This is it. This is where my fate is decided._ I put a hand to my stomach and applied some pressure hoping it would stop the churning within. There wasn't any backing out--no more pit stops to stall the inevitable. I was here and this was happening.

  
  


We reached the top of the set of stairs which funneled into a narrow glass pathway. Looking down I saw dark green grass and flowers below, lit gently from within the flower beds. At least if I were going to die today, I'd die somewhere beautiful.

  
  


"Ready," Nihlus questioned quietly as he quickened his pace to come up next to me as we made our way down the narrow walkway. I could see it open up into a wider expanse about forty feet ahead, and I could see a Turian, an Asari, and a Salarian at the end.

  
  


"No," I swallowed loudly. "But I have to be," I added quickly.

  
  


"You'll be fine," he soothed. I wanted to believe him, but I didn't know these aliens--and they didn't know me. I probably looked like some child wearing mommy's clothes to them right now.

  
  


The end of the path culminated in a small circular platform that jutted out over the sunken garden. I stepped into the center of the platform and looked around. 

  
  


Before me, across the other side of the pit were three figures that were raised so that they were looking down at me. I knew from what Nihlus had told me on the ship ride here that this was the council. They were standing there, silent and poised watching me watch them.

  
  


Around me to the left and the right were three floors for gallery seating. There were a few aliens standing there quietly waiting for the meeting to start.

  
  


_Well I'm not saying anything first,_ my stubborn streak as well as a healthy jolt of fear kicked in. Thankfully I had Nihlus to take that burden from me:

  
  


"Councilors, may I introduce to you, Rebecca Shepard of Earth."

  
  


The Asari Councilor looked to her counterparts and back to me. "Welcome to the Citadel, Rebecca. It is quite a surprise to have you here."

  
  


"It wasn't planned," I smiled apologetically. "I am sorry if this is any inconvenience to you."

  
  


"Not inconvenient just...difficult. Humanity as a whole is a long way from uplifting themselves to this level of interaction. As standard policy we don't interfere with races that aren't ready to access the relays. Watch, yes, but interfere, no," the Salarian councilor spoke.

  
  


The Turian Councilor turned to me, mandibles tight to his face. "That leaves us with the issue of what to do with your race as a whole. It would be...inhumane to leave you alone out in the galaxy without anyone of your species for the rest of your life. However, changing our policy on uplifting an entire species especially with the current political and social climate on Earth--"

  
  


"That takes time," the Asari interjected. "It takes planning. Time we have in spades, but a plan? No."

  
  


"So..." I looked nervously between the three figures before me. "You're not going to kill me?"

  
  


A chorus of chuckles echoed out from in front of me, the Asari going as far as to laugh daintily into her hand.

  
  


"No, silly girl," her hand pressed itself to her bosom as she tried to regain her composure. "We are not going to kill you. We just wanted to meet you, welcome you, and let you know that though it may take time, we will be working on figuring out what to do so you're not the only one of your kind out here." Relief washed over me at her words. I would live, and if I was lucky, I might see another Human again.

  
  


"Now," the Turian Councilor spoke, "Nihlus you said in our earlier communications that you were making arrangements for Rebecca?"

  
  


_What?_ I craned my neck to look up at Nihlus who's attentions were squarely on the Turian before him.

  
  


"Yes sir, I have paid for a small apartment for Rebecca so that she has somewhere to stay while she gathers her footing, and Garrus Vakarian has been chosen as her guard while things are still being figured out on your end."

  
  


_An apartment? Really?_ My jaw dropped as I looked up at Nihlus' profile, unblinking and unmoving.

  
  


"Yes, Vakarian," the Turian Councilor sounded pleased. "Love your work in the Terminus Systems."

  
  


"Thank you, sir," Garrus' voice was sharp and clear.

  
  


"Well if everything is set up for Rebecca, I don't see why we should keep you any longer. It seems like we're the ones playing catch up, now," the Salarian sounded preemptively tired for the work he had ahead.

  
  


"Thank you, Councilors," Nihlus nodded his appreciation, turned on his heel and left.

  
  


"Thank you so much," I hoped my voice sounded as sincere as I felt. I would live to see another day, and that wasn't an outcome I had been expecting.

  
  


"Just remember, Rebecca," the Asari called out as I was turning to head after Nihlus and Garrus. "You are an ambassador for your species. Keep out of trouble."

  
  


"Yes, ma'am." I quickly made my way after the two Turian males. My shoes squeaked quietly on the glass floor as I jogged after them--they hadn't had too much of a head start so far as time, but their legs were considerably longer than mine.

  
  


"Told you," The brown plated Turian jibed.

  
  


"An apartment, Nihlus, really?" My hand made contact with the cold of his shoulder pauldron as I shoved him gently. "You didn't have to do that."

  
  


"Well where else would you go?" He laughed.

  
  


"With you--with the guys. Just bring some food for me this time." My arms flopped back down to my sides in exasperation.

  
  


"Rebecca," Nihlus stopped in his tracks and turned to me, mandibles tight to his face. "You can't come with me. My ship is a Military vessel. You're a civilian." Garrus gave me a side glance and kept walking toward the stairs.

  
  


"So you're just dumping me here alone?" My voice peaked with the panic that welled up inside me. I wasn't ready to do this on my own. Not yet. Sure I had an apartment, but I didn't have much else.

  
  


"I have to go back to work, Rebecca," he sighed, "I can't stay with you, I'm sorry. Garrus will, though--and I promise he'll take care of you."

  
  


"But I want you to stay," came my small pitiful reply.

  
  


"I can't," he insisted.

  
  


"Fine," I muttered and headed in Garrus' direction leaving him on the glass walkway. "Just don't die out there. You need to come back and visit."

  
  


"I promise I will come back and visit," his amused voice floated up from behind me. "Besides, I don't think the guys would forgive me if we didn't check in on you now and again."

  
  


The rest of the walk down from the peak of the Presidium was quiet. Garrus seemed like the strong silent type and didn't speak much, and I was still a little pissed at Nihlus for not including me in on my future plans.

  
  


I was truly grateful to have somewhere to live--but I didn't have a job, no money for food, and I had one outfit to my name. Sure I didn't really think that Garrus would let me starve, but I didn't want to leech off of him either, especially since we had only spoken to each other briefly.

  
  


Nihlus, however was right when he said I couldn't join him on his ship--I just hadn't wanted to admit it. What was I going to do while him and the guys were out in the field? I knew of radio silence from when my mother would be gone so I figured that had to be a thing here as well--at least sometimes. No, there wasn't any way that would work. 

  
  


We got to the transit station and piled into the car--Nihlus and I in the front and Garrus in the back. We were headed off to my new apartment. From the clock it looked to be heading into the evening, and I had to admit I was tired from the day's events. 

  
  


"Ready to see your new place?" Nihlus grinned over at me from the driver's seat.

  
  


"You have no idea."

 

 


End file.
